Did Drake Maye Finished the Patriots' Painful Brady Hangover?
You have to feel for the Browns, Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and placeholders. In contrast, after only half a decade of looking, the Patriots – the after-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 looks like a elite player and Most Valuable Player contender.
His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with the Bills' star and surpassed the reigning MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a visit to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They ripped off a large gain on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and opting for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, launching a long deep ball to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to throw a perfect pass downfield. After that, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the field. His first half was so impressive that even North Carolina was compelled to post. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it might have been better if not for a series of debatable referee decisions.
It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at age 23 or younger.
The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a strong defensive line. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he delivered under fire.
Maye took hits a several times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three scoring throws while pressured, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, scanning options to locate receivers. When needed, he can run and improvise on the ground. As a first-year player, he was a little chaotic, escaping pressure at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the structure of the scheme and delivering the ball to the right spot quickly.
For the season, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a TWP in three games.
Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators questioned his capacity to read complex defenses and run a detailed system. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unlocked the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving each week once more, and Maye is piloting the attack like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be second-year progress, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye spent the season trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six games into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.
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 the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT to a potential star in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a 25 years searching – and never locate anyone.
Securing a franchise quarterback is about more than winning games. It changes the personality of a fanbase and organization. For two decades, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a transition from Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to regain their championship confidence.
Player of the Week
JSN, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout responded with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars by eight points. Seattle’s defense led the way, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a year-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured 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 TD.
Highlight of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of another frustrating, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and his receiver seized control.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Hoo boy. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, slipping past the initial before tossing the other to the deck. He found his target in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in position for the game-winning kick.
It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of their QB and his teammates as his offensive line flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish 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 rough loss, he’s running out of time to keep his position.
Stat of the Week
Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB ended with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th start.
We know what Fields is now: an elite rusher who struggles to decipher the {passing game|pass
