Has Drake Maye Finished the New England's Painful Brady Aftermath?
You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have endured years in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and placeholders. Meanwhile, after just five years of looking, the Patriots – the post-Tom 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 top-five starter and MVP candidate.
Last week was his breakout: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and surpassed the current MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been even more impressive. Coming off an upset win over the division favorites, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and opting for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, launching a long pass to DeMario Douglas for the leading score.
Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!
It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to throw a strike deep. After that, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His first half was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts 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 at least 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have achieved that at age 23 or younger.
The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on important plays. 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 gave up 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 several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the flight.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When necessary, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the scheme and getting the ball to the right spot in a hurry.
This year, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three outings.
After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Too loose. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, 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 piloting the attack like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls again.
Bears fans will find solace in seeing the progress of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to wince. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in five years. Some teams spend a quarter of a century searching – and never locate anyone.
Finding a franchise quarterback is about beyond victories. It changes the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution now. Get ready for your Masshole friends to regain their championship confidence.
Player of the Week
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for JSN, constantly. The receiver answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense set the tone, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who carried the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. That featured a long TD and perhaps the best 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 team – a 61-yard touchdown.
Highlight of the Week
The Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another disappointing, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. From there, the Chargers' QB and his receiver seized control.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the initial before throwing the second to the deck. He located McConkey in the flat, who faked out a defender to move the ball in position for the game-winning field goal.
It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the brilliance of their QB 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 defeat, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to save his job.
Stat of the Week
Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields ended with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th start.
We know what Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to read the {passing game|pass
