Has Drake Maye Finished the New England's Painful Brady Aftermath?
You have to feel for the Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have endured years in QB uncertainty, rotating through young players and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered the guy.
Half a decade. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a young quarterback who appears to be 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 the Bills' star and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a lousy Saints team had risk of a slump. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a large gain on the first play 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 53-yard deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the leading score.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, navigating the pocket to throw a strike deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so impressive that even North Carolina was compelled to post. He finished 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three scores and no turnovers. And it might have been better if not for a series of debatable referee decisions.
It was his fifth straight game with at least 200 yards and a passer rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at 23 years old or less.
The top QBs turn difficult road games into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on important plays. The Patriots needed every bit 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 right arm. And he delivered under fire.
Maye was hit a several times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three scoring throws while pressured, with each going over 20 yards in the air.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the pocket, scanning options to find open targets. When necessary, he can take off and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the initial hint of danger. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and getting the ball to the right spot quickly.
For the season, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of broken plays. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.
After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators questioned his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a complex offense. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is leading the offense like an eight-year vet.
His growth has accelerated the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye used the season trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls again.
Bears fans will find solace in seeing the development of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise QB emerges. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a possible great in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking – and never locate anyone.
Securing 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 privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a transition from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution now. Get ready for your New England pals to regain their championship confidence.
MVP of the Week
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target Smith-Njigba, constantly. The receiver answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense led the way, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and dropping him a year-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.
JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new team – a 61-yard TD.
Video of the Week
The Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another disappointing, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. From there, Justin Herbert and his receiver seized control.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, slipping past the first before throwing the second to the ground. He located his target in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in position for the winning kick.
It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the brilliance of Herbert and his teammates as his offensive line flails. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s losing time to save his job.
Notable Statistic
Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB finished with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th start.
It's clear who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to read the {passing game|pass