Did Drake Maye Finished the Patriots' Difficult Brady Hangover?
You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through young players and placeholders. Meanwhile, after just five years of looking, 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 Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an upset win over the division favorites, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. They ripped off a large gain on the first play of the game, before faltering in the redzone and opting for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, launching a long pass to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead score.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, navigating the pocket to throw a strike downfield. From there, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the field. His first half was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three scores and no turnovers. And it might have been better if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.
It was his fifth straight game with at least 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have ever done that at 23 years old or less.
The top QBs 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 required all of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a stout front. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he performed under pressure.
Maye was hit a few times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three scoring throws under pressure, with all three going over 20 yards in the flight.
It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the pocket, scanning options to locate receivers. When necessary, he can run and improvise on the ground. As a first-year player, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been more like Brady, adapting to the structure of the scheme and delivering the ball to the right spot in a hurry.
For the season, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s reduced by half his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to create plays out of broken plays. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three games.
After college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his ability to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Too loose. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week again, and Maye is leading the attack like an eight-year vet.
His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six games into his second season, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls again.
Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the progress of Caleb Williams. 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 other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this sport can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century searching – and never locate anyone.
Securing a franchise QB is about more than victories. It changes the personality of a fanbase and franchise. For 20 years, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the last few seasons have been about failing to build a transition from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution now. Get ready for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.
Player of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight receptions for over 150 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, hounding Trevor Lawrence and dropping him a season-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who carried the Seahawks’ offense, making up all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. 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 first play with his new team – a 61-yard TD.
Highlight of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey took over.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the first before throwing the second to the deck. He found McConkey in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in position for the winning field goal.
It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the brilliance of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his protection struggles. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become standard for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s losing time to save his job.
Stat of the Week
Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB ended with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Back then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was making his 49th start.
It's clear what Fields is now: an elite rusher who struggles to read the {passing game|pass
