Has Maye Finished the Patriots' Difficult Brady Hangover?
You have to feel for the Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in QB uncertainty, rotating through prospects and temporary starters. In contrast, after only half a decade of searching, the Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – appear to have found the guy.
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 appears to be a top-five starter and MVP candidate.
His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Orchard Park, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Coming off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a trip to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a big play on the first play of the game, before faltering in the red zone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, launching a long deep ball to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead score.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye at his best, navigating the protection to throw a perfect pass downfield. After that, he kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so impressive that his alma mater was compelled to post. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for 261 yards with three scores and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.
It was his fifth consecutive outing with at least 200 yards and a passer rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at age 23 or younger.
The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, 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 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 performed under pressure.
Maye was hit a several times and tackled 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 not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the protection, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When needed, he can take off and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the confines of the system and getting the ball to the right spot quickly.
For the season, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of broken plays. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three games.
Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Scouts questioned his capacity to read complex defenses and operate a detailed system. Overly casual. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the full breadth of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is leading the offense like an experienced veteran.
His development has accelerated 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 spent the year trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls again.
Chicago supporters will find solace 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 yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a possible great in five years. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and still don’t find a solution.
Finding a franchise QB is about more than victories. It alters the personality of a fan base and franchise. For two decades, 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 found the answer today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to regain their Brady-era bluster.
MVP of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to look for Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver answered with eight catches for 162 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 sacking him a season-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. That featured a 61-yard touchdown 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.
Video of the Week
The Dolphins were on the wrong side of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and his receiver took over.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two defenders, slipping past the first before throwing the second to the deck. He found McConkey in the flat, who faked out a defender to advance in range for the game-winning field goal.
It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the brilliance of their QB and his surrounding playmakers as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become standard for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to save his job.
Stat of the Week
Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields ended with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any match since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was in his 49th.
We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to read the {passing game|pass
