Has Drake Maye Ended the Patriots' Difficult Brady Aftermath?
You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through young players and placeholders. In contrast, after just five years of looking, the Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered 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 Most Valuable Player contender.
His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and outplayed the reigning MVP in the fourth quarter. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division favorites, a visit to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a big play on the first play of the game, before faltering in the redzone and settling for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, uncorking 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 pocket to deliver a strike downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a trio of debatable referee decisions.
It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have achieved that at age 23 or younger.
The top QBs convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection to narrowly defeat 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 took hits a few times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the air.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When needed, he can run and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, escaping pressure at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the scheme and delivering the ball where it needs to go quickly.
This year, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s halved his risky play percentage 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 turnover-worthy play in three outings.
After college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Scouts questioned his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a complex offense. Too loose. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as New England's OC, has unlocked the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving weekly once more, and Maye is leading the attack like an eight-year vet.
His growth has accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye used the year trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls again.
Bears fans will find solace in witnessing the progress of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, 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 teams lacking QBs, it’s another example of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century searching – and never locate a solution.
Finding a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It alters the identity of a fan base and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the recent years 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 championship confidence.
MVP of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target JSN, constantly. The receiver responded with eight receptions for 162 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars by eight points. Seattle’s defense led the way, hounding Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a year-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seattle's attack, accounting for all the first 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.
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 losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with 48 seconds left, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Then, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey took over.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, dodging the first before throwing the second to the ground. He found McConkey in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in range for the winning field goal.
It sums up the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to keep his position.
Stat of the Week
Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB ended with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was making his 49th.
It's clear who Fields is now: an elite rusher who has difficulty to read the {passing game|pass
