Has Drake Maye Ended the New England's Difficult Brady Aftermath?
It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have endured years in quarterback purgatory, cycling between prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after just five years of searching, the Patriots – the post-Tom 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 Most Valuable Player contender.
Last week was his breakout: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and surpassed the current MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a trip to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a big play on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and opting for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, uncorking a long deep ball to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead score.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye at his best, climbing through the pocket to deliver a strike deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for 261 yards with three scores and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.
It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have achieved that at 23 years old or less.
The top QBs convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on important plays. 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 allowed multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.
Maye took hits a several times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the air.
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 needed, he can take off 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 confines of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go quickly.
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 rookie year, when he was always attempting to create plays out of broken plays. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He has avoided a TWP in three outings.
Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Scouts doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and operate a complex offense. Overly casual. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week again, and Maye is piloting the offense like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye used the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls once more.
Chicago supporters will find solace in seeing the development of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to wince. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the other NFL teams lacking QBs, it’s yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find anyone.
Finding a franchise quarterback is about more than winning games. It alters the personality of a fanbase and organization. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the gilded life. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to regain their championship confidence.
Player of the Week
JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to target Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags 20-12. The Seahawks' D led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a year-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who carried the Seahawks’ offense, making up all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new team – a 61-yard TD.
Highlight of the Week
The Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another disappointing, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the ensuing kickoff. From there, Justin Herbert and his receiver took over.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the initial before tossing the other to the ground. He found his target in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in position for the winning kick.
It sums up the Chargers’ season: narrowly winning on the brilliance of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s losing time to keep his position.
Notable Statistic
Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any match since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th start.
We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass