Did Maye Finished the New England's Difficult Brady Aftermath?
You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have endured years in QB uncertainty, cycling between young players and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered the guy.
Five years. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a young quarterback who looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.
His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Buffalo, 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 more remarkable. Fresh off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a visit to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, uncorking a 53-yard pass to DeMario 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 perfect pass downfield. From there, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the field. His opening two quarters was so impressive that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and zero giveaways. And it could have been more if not for a trio of debatable referee decisions.
It was his fifth straight game with at least 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 don’t put the ball in harm’s way, keep the offense chugging and deliver key passes on important plays. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a strong defensive line. Their defense allowed multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he delivered under fire.
Maye was hit a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It made no difference. Maye threw all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the air.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When necessary, he can take off and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a little chaotic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and delivering the ball to the right spot in a hurry.
For the season, Maye has 10 TD passes, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of broken plays. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three outings.
After college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his ability to process sophisticated coverages and run a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as New England's OC, has unleashed the full breadth of his scheme. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving weekly again, and Maye is leading the offense like an experienced veteran.
His growth has accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye spent the season trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.
Chicago supporters will take some comfort in seeing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise QB arrives. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a 25 years searching – and still don’t find a solution.
Finding a franchise QB is about more than victories. It alters the personality of a fanbase and organization. For two decades, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a transition from Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution now. 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 only way forward was for their QB to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight catches for over 150 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags 20-12. The Seahawks' D set the tone, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who carried the Seahawks’ offense, making up all 117 of the team's early yards through the air. That featured a long TD and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a receiver all year.
JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new squad – a 61-yard TD.
Video of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another frustrating, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Then, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey seized control.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, dodging the first before throwing the second to the ground. He located McConkey in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in range for the winning field goal.
It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of their QB and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line 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 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to save his job.
Stat of the Week
Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB ended with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any match since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th.
It's clear who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to read the {passing game|pass
