Did Maye Ended the Patriots' Difficult Tom Brady Aftermath?
It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between prospects and temporary starters. In contrast, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered 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 MVP candidate.
Last week was his breakout: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with the Bills' star and outplayed 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 leaders, a trip to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They ripped off a big play on the opening snap of the game, before faltering in the red zone and settling for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, 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 at his best, climbing through the pocket to deliver a strike downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He finished 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.
It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at age 23 or younger.
The top QBs convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, keep the offense chugging and deliver key passes on important plays. The Patriots required all of Maye's flawless play to squeeze by the Saints. They struggled on the ground 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 took hits a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the flight.
It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the protection, scanning options to locate receivers. When necessary, he can take off and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a somewhat erratic, escaping pressure at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, adapting to the structure of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go quickly.
This year, Maye has 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to create plays out of broken plays. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three outings.
Coming out of college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators questioned his capacity to read complex defenses and run a complex offense. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week once more, and Maye is piloting the offense like an experienced veteran.
His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a gradual process. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six matches into his second season, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls once more.
Chicago supporters 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 cringe. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise QB emerges. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century searching – and never locate a solution.
Securing a franchise quarterback is about beyond victories. It changes the personality of a fan base and organization. For two decades, 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 discovered the solution now. Get ready for your New England pals to regain their Brady-era bluster.
MVP of the Week
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to target Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver answered with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D set the tone, hounding Trevor Lawrence and dropping him a season-high seven times. But it was JSN who carried the Seattle's attack, accounting for all the first 117 of the team's early yards via passing. That included a long TD and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his first play with his new squad – a 61-yard touchdown.
Highlight of the Week
The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another disappointing, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. From there, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey seized control.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is mean. Amazingly, 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 range for the game-winning kick.
It sums up the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of Herbert and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to save his job.
Notable Statistic
Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB finished with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any match since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Back then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th.
It's clear who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass
