Did Maye Finished the Patriots' Difficult Brady Hangover?
You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after just five years of searching, the Patriots – the after-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 appears to be a elite player and Most Valuable Player contender.
Last week was his breakout: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and surpassed the current MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Fresh 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 big play 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 53-yard deep ball to Pop Douglas for the leading score.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the pocket to deliver a perfect pass downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it could have been more if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.
It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a passer rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have achieved that at 23 years old or less.
The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat 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 passing. And he performed under pressure.
Maye was hit a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It made no difference. Maye passed all three scoring throws under pressure, with all three traveling 20 yards or more in the air.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When needed, 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 this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.
This year, 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 create plays out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a TWP in three games.
After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his ability to read complex defenses and run a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving each week again, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.
His development has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still be the spectacular passes, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six games into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.
Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the progress of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to wince. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback arrives. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, 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 five years. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and never locate anyone.
Securing a franchise quarterback is about more than victories. It changes the personality of a fanbase and organization. For 20 years, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the last few seasons have been about failing to build a transition from Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution today. Get ready for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.
Player of the Week
JSN, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver answered with eight receptions for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, hounding Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a year-high seven times. But it was JSN who carried the Seattle's attack, making up all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That included a 61-yard touchdown and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his first play with his new squad – a 61-yard touchdown.
Video of the Week
The Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another frustrating, late defeat. They gained a narrow 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 return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey took over.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, dodging the first before throwing the second to the deck. He located his target in the short area, who faked out a defender to advance in position for the game-winning field goal.
It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the brilliance of Herbert and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s losing time to save his job.
Notable Statistic
Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields ended with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any game since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th start.
We know what Fields is now: an elite rusher who struggles to read the {passing game|pass
