Did Maye Finished the Patriots' Difficult Brady Aftermath?
You have to feel for the Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of looking, the Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered their man.
Half a decade. 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 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 outplayed the current MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before faltering in the red zone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, uncorking a long deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the go-ahead 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 deep. From there, he kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the field. His first half was so impressive that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 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, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have ever done that at age 23 or younger.
The top QBs turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye's flawless play to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a strong defensive line. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a game that had to be won by Maye’s right arm. And he delivered under fire.
Maye was hit a few times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three touchdown passes under pressure, with all three traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the protection, 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, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like 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 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 failed schemes. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a TWP in three outings.
Coming out of college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his capacity to read complex defenses and run a complex offense. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving weekly once more, and Maye is leading the offense like an eight-year vet.
His growth has accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still be the spectacular passes, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six matches into his second season, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into division contenders once more.
Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the progress 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 arrives. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots moved from the GOAT to a potential star in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find a solution.
Finding a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. 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 today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.
MVP of the Week
JSN, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to look for JSN, constantly. The wideout responded with eight receptions for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense led the way, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and dropping him a year-high seven times. But it was JSN who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That included a long TD 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 very first snap with his new squad – a 61-yard touchdown.
Highlight of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and his receiver took over.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, dodging the initial before throwing the second to the deck. He located McConkey in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in position for the game-winning field goal.
It sums up the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the brilliance of Herbert and his teammates as his protection flails. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. 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 net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Back then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third game. Fields was making his 49th start.
We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to read the {passing game|pass
