Has Maye Finished the Patriots' Painful Brady Aftermath?
You have to feel for the Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have spent decades in QB uncertainty, cycling between prospects and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – appear to have found their man.
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 Most Valuable Player contender.
His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a visit to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. 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 answer, launching a 53-yard pass to DeMario Douglas for the leading touchdown.
Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!
It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the pocket to deliver a strike deep. From there, he kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His first half was so impressive that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He finished 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a series of debatable referee decisions.
It was his fifth consecutive outing with at least 200 yards and a passer rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have achieved that at 23 years old or less.
The best quarterbacks 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 narrowly defeat the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a stout front. Their defense allowed multiple big gains. This was a game that had to be won by Maye's passing. And he delivered under fire.
Maye was hit a several times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye passed all three touchdown passes while pressured, with each going over 20 yards in the air.
It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. 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 now, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.
For the season, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to create plays out of broken plays. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a TWP in three games.
After college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators questioned his ability to read complex defenses and operate a complex offense. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving each week once more, and Maye is leading the offense like an eight-year vet.
His development has accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a gradual process. There would still be the spectacular passes, while Maye used the year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.
Chicago supporters will take some comfort in witnessing the development of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, 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 cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century searching – and still don’t find a solution.
Securing a franchise quarterback is about more than victories. It alters the identity of a fan base and franchise. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution today. Get ready for your New England pals to regain their championship confidence.
MVP of the Week
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to look for Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver responded with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jags 20-12. The Seahawks' D led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who carried the Seattle's attack, making up all the first 117 of the team's early yards through the air. That featured a long TD and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new squad – a 61-yard TD.
Highlight of the Week
The Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another frustrating, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and his receiver took over.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Hoo boy. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging the first before throwing the second to the ground. He found McConkey in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in position for the game-winning kick.
It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the brilliance of their QB and his surrounding playmakers as his protection flails. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become standard for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to keep his position.
Notable Statistic
Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields ended with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was in his 49th.
We know who Fields is now: an elite rusher who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass
