Has Maye Ended the New England's Painful Brady Aftermath?
It's hard not to sympathize with the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found their man.
Five years. From Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones to Bailey Zappe to Maye’s first choppy season to this: a young quarterback who looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.
His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and outplayed the current MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Coming off an upset win over the division favorites, a trip to a lousy Saints team 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 redzone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, launching a long deep ball to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the protection to throw a strike downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His first half was so impressive that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three touchdowns 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 QB rating north of 100. Only the Chiefs' star, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have ever done that at 23 years old or less.
The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on important plays. The Patriots required all of Maye's flawless play to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a stout front. Their defense allowed multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he performed under pressure.
Maye was hit a few times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three scoring throws under pressure, with all three traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.
It's beyond statistics. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the pocket, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When necessary, he can run and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the confines of the system and delivering the ball to the right spot in a hurry.
This year, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two running scores and only two picks. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.
Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Scouts doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Overly casual. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week again, and Maye is leading the offense like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has smashed expectations. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls once more.
Chicago supporters 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 rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s another example of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT to a potential star in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a 25 years looking – and never locate a solution.
Finding a franchise QB is about more than winning games. It alters the identity of a fan base and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about failing to build a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve found the answer today. Get ready for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.
MVP of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for JSN, constantly. The wideout responded with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who supported the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. That featured a long TD and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.
JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his first play with his new squad – a 61-yard TD.
Highlight of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another disappointing, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and his receiver took over.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the initial before throwing the second to the deck. He located McConkey in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in range for the game-winning field goal.
It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line struggles. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s losing time to save his job.
Stat of the Week
Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB finished with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th.
It's clear who Fields is now: an elite rusher who struggles to decipher the {passing game|pass