Has Maye Finished the New England's Difficult Brady Hangover?
It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have endured years in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and placeholders. In contrast, after just five years of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-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 current MVP in the fourth quarter. 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 red zone and opting for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, launching a long deep ball to Pop Douglas for the leading touchdown.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to deliver a perfect pass downfield. After that, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His first half was so searing that his alma mater was compelled to post. He ended 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a series of debatable referee decisions.
It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a passer rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have ever done that at age 23 or younger.
The top QBs convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, keep the offense chugging and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to narrowly defeat 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 right arm. And he delivered under fire.
Maye took hits a few times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It made no difference. Maye passed all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each going over 20 yards in the flight.
It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When necessary, he can take off and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and delivering the ball to the right spot quickly.
For the season, Maye has 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play 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. Overly casual. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is piloting the offense like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye used the year trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots division contenders again.
Chicago supporters will take some comfort in witnessing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to wince. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise QB 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 moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a 25 years searching – and never locate anyone.
Finding a franchise quarterback is about more than winning games. It changes the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the recent years have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer now. Prepare for your Masshole friends to regain their championship confidence.
Player of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to target JSN, constantly. The wideout answered with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags 20-12. The Seahawks' D led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a year-high seven times. But it was JSN who carried the Seattle's attack, accounting for all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. That included a long TD 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 squad – a 61-yard TD.
Highlight of the Week
The Dolphins were on the wrong side of another disappointing, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the following kick. Then, the Chargers' QB and his receiver took over.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Hoo boy. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the initial before tossing the other to the ground. 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’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of their QB and his teammates as his protection flails. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to save his job.
Notable Statistic
Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB ended with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third game. Fields was making his 49th.
It's clear who Fields is now: an elite rusher who struggles to read the {passing game|pass
