Has Drake Maye Ended the Patriots' Difficult Brady Aftermath?
It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. These teams have endured years in QB uncertainty, cycling between young players and temporary starters. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – appear to have found their man.
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.
Last week was his breakout: a victory away in Orchard Park, where Maye matched throws with the Bills' star and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Coming off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a large gain on the first play of the game, before faltering in the redzone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, launching a 53-yard deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the leading score.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, climbing through the protection to throw a strike downfield. From there, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the field. His first half 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 zero giveaways. 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 passer rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have ever done that at age 23 or younger.
The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum 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 strong defensive line. Their defense allowed multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he performed under pressure.
Maye was hit 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 traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.
It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the pocket, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When necessary, he can run and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and getting 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 risky play percentage from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three games.
After college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Scouts questioned his capacity to read complex defenses and operate a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is leading the attack like an experienced veteran.
His development has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls again.
Chicago supporters will find solace in seeing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s 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 possible great in five years. Certain franchises spend a 25 years looking – and still don’t find a solution.
Finding a franchise quarterback is about more than victories. It alters the personality of a fan base and organization. For two decades, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about not constructing a transition from Brady to the next era. They’ve found the answer today. Get ready for your Masshole friends to regain their Brady-era bluster.
MVP of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver responded with eight catches for over 150 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags 20-12. The Seahawks' D led the way, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a year-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who carried the Seattle's attack, accounting for 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 squad – a 61-yard TD.
Highlight of the Week
The Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and his receiver seized control.
INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Hoo boy. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging 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 advance in position for the game-winning field goal.
It sums up the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to keep his position.
Notable Statistic
Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields ended with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any game since the Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was making his 49th start.
We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to read the {passing game|pass
