Has Maye Ended the Patriots' Difficult Tom Brady Aftermath?

It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered the guy.

Five years. From Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones to Bailey Zappe to Maye’s first choppy season to this: a 23-year-old quarterback who looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before faltering in the red zone and settling for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, uncorking a 53-yard pass to DeMario Douglas for the go-ahead score.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to throw a perfect pass deep. After that, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at 23 years old or less.

The top QBs convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to narrowly defeat the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a stout front. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.

Maye was hit a several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the air.

It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, scanning options to find open targets. When needed, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the confines of the scheme and getting the ball to the right spot quickly.

This year, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s reduced by half his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was always attempting to create plays out of broken plays. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three games.

Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Scouts doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and operate a detailed system. Too loose. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving weekly again, and Maye is piloting the attack like an experienced veteran.

His development has accelerated the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye used the season trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots into division contenders again.

Bears fans will find solace in seeing the development of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to wince. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT to a possible great in half a decade. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and still don’t find anyone.

Finding a franchise quarterback is about more than winning games. It changes the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a transition from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution now. Get ready for your New England pals to regain their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target Smith-Njigba, constantly. The wideout responded with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seattle's attack, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his first play with his new squad – a 61-yard TD.

Highlight of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another disappointing, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Then, Justin Herbert and his receiver seized control.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the initial before tossing the other to the ground. He found his target in the flat, who faked out a defender to advance in range for the winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of Herbert and his teammates as his protection flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields ended with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third game. Fields was in his 49th.

We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to read the {passing game|pass