Has Maye Ended the Patriots' Painful Brady Hangover?
You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between prospects and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after just five years of looking, the Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found the guy.
Half a decade. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a 23-year-old quarterback who appears to be a top-five starter and Most Valuable Player contender.
His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and surpassed the current MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an surprise victory over the division leaders, a visit to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and settling for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, launching a 53-yard deep ball to Pop Douglas for the leading touchdown.
Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!
It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the protection to throw a perfect pass downfield. From there, he kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His first half was so impressive that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it could have been more 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 Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, 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 avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat the Saints. They struggled on the ground 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 several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three touchdown passes while pressured, with each going over 20 yards in the air.
It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, scanning options to find open targets. When needed, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the confines of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go quickly.
For the season, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two running scores 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 broken plays. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three outings.
After college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and operate a detailed system. Too loose. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving each week again, and Maye is leading the attack like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has smashed predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s transformed the Patriots into playoff hopefuls 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 wince. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT to a possible great in five years. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and never locate a solution.
Securing a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It changes the identity of a fan base and organization. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about failing to build a bridge from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.
Player of the Week
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to look for JSN, constantly. The wideout responded with eight receptions for over 150 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags 20-12. Seattle’s defense led the way, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That included a long TD and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.
JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his first play with his new squad – a 61-yard touchdown.
Highlight of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another frustrating, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the ensuing kickoff. Then, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey seized control.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Hoo boy. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging the initial 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 exemplifies the Chargers’ season: narrowly winning on the brilliance of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his protection flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s losing 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 1998. Back then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th.
It's clear what Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to decipher the {passing game|pass