Has Drake Maye Finished the New England's Difficult Tom Brady Aftermath?

You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have endured years in QB uncertainty, rotating through prospects and placeholders. In contrast, after only half a decade of searching, the Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – appear to have found the guy.

Half a decade. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a 23-year-old quarterback who looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

Last week was his breakout: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and surpassed the current MVP in the fourth quarter. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Coming off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. They ripped off a large gain on the first play of the game, before faltering in the red zone and opting for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, uncorking a 53-yard deep ball to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to deliver a strike deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the field. His opening two quarters was so impressive that even North Carolina was compelled to post. He finished 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at age 23 or younger.

The top QBs convert tough away matches into routine victories. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on important plays. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a stout front. Their defense gave up multiple big gains. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he delivered under fire.

Maye was hit a few times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the air.

It's beyond statistics. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When necessary, he can run and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and getting the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

For the season, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his risky play percentage from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.

Coming out of college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his ability to read complex defenses and operate a complex offense. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving each week again, and Maye is leading the attack like an experienced veteran.

His growth has sped up 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 spent the season trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has smashed predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots division contenders once more.

Chicago supporters will take some comfort in witnessing the development of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s another example of how harsh and repetitive this sport can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a potential star in five years. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and never locate a solution.

Finding a franchise quarterback is about beyond victories. It alters the personality of a fanbase and organization. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a bridge from Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to look for JSN, constantly. The wideout responded with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense led the way, hounding Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who supported the Seattle's attack, making up all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured a long TD and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new team – a 61-yard TD.

Video of the Week

The Dolphins were on the losing end of another disappointing, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. From there, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey seized control.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the first before tossing the other to the deck. He found McConkey in the flat, who faked out a defender to move the ball in range for the winning field goal.

It sums up the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s losing time to keep his position.

Notable Statistic

Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was making his 49th.

We know what Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass