You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. These teams have endured years in QB uncertainty, cycling between young players and placeholders. In contrast, after just five years of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered their man.
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 appears to be a elite player and Most Valuable Player contender.
Last week was his breakout: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and outplayed the current MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a big play on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and settling for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, launching a long pass to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead score.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the protection to deliver a strike downfield. After that, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so searing that his alma mater was compelled to post. He finished 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three touchdowns and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.
It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at 23 years old or less.
The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a stout front. Their defense allowed multiple big gains. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he delivered under fire.
Maye took hits a several times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three scoring throws under pressure, with each going over 20 yards in the flight.
It's beyond statistics. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, scanning options to find open targets. When needed, he can run and improvise on the ground. As a first-year player, 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 scheme and getting the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.
This year, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his rookie year, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three games.
After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Scouts doubted his ability to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as New England's OC, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving weekly again, and Maye is leading the attack like an eight-year vet.
His development has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into division contenders again.
Bears fans will find solace in seeing the progress 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 QB emerges. And for the other NFL teams lacking QBs, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in five years. Certain franchises spend a 25 years searching – and still don’t find a solution.
Securing a franchise QB is about more than winning games. It alters the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the recent years have been about not constructing a bridge from Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution today. Get ready for your New England pals to regain their championship confidence.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars by eight points. The Seahawks' D led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a year-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who carried the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all 117 of the team's early yards via passing. That included a long TD and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a receiver all year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his first play with his new team – a 61-yard touchdown.
The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another disappointing, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the following kick. From there, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey seized control.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Hoo boy. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the initial before tossing the other to the ground. He found McConkey in the short area, who faked out a defender to advance in range for the game-winning kick.
It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of their QB and his surrounding playmakers 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 fell to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to keep his position.
Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB finished with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third game. Fields was making his 49th start.
It's clear who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass
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