Has Maye Ended the Patriots' Difficult Brady Aftermath?
It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in QB uncertainty, cycling between prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after just five years of searching, the New England Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – appear to have found the guy.
Five years. 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.
His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and outplayed the current MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Coming off an upset win over the division favorites, a trip to a lousy Saints team had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a big play on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and settling for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, launching a 53-yard pass to Pop Douglas for the leading touchdown.
Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!
It was Maye in peak form, navigating the pocket to deliver a strike deep. From there, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the field. His opening two quarters was so impressive that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it could have been more if not for a trio of debatable referee decisions.
It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have achieved that at age 23 or younger.
The top QBs turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. 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 flawless play to narrowly defeat the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a stout front. Their defense gave up multiple big gains. This was a game that had to be won by Maye’s right arm. And he performed under pressure.
Maye took hits a several times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each going over 20 yards in the flight.
It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When needed, he can run and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, escaping pressure at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the confines of the scheme and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.
This year, Maye has 10 passing touchdowns, 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 failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a TWP in three games.
Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his capacity to read complex defenses and run a detailed system. Too loose. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving each week once more, and Maye is leading the attack like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye used the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six games 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 take some comfort in witnessing 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 emerges. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT to a possible great in five years. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find a solution.
Securing a franchise QB is about more than victories. It changes the personality of a fan base and franchise. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a bridge from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution today. Get ready for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.
MVP of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to look for Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver answered with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and dropping him a year-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured 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 very first snap with his new team – a 61-yard touchdown.
Highlight of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, Justin Herbert and his receiver seized control.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the first before throwing the second to the ground. He found McConkey in the short area, who faked out a defender to move the ball in range for the game-winning field goal.
It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the excellence of their QB and his teammates as his offensive line struggles. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to save his job.
Stat of the Week
Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields finished with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was making his 49th.
We know what Fields is now: an elite rusher who struggles to read the {passing game|pass
