Did Drake Maye Finished the Patriots' Painful 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 looking, 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 looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.
Last week was his breakout: a road win in Orchard Park, 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 more remarkable. Coming off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a visit to a lousy Saints team 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 three points. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, launching a long pass to DeMario Douglas for the leading touchdown.
Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!
It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to throw a perfect pass downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so searing that even North Carolina was compelled to post. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 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 north of 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at 23 years old or less.
The top QBs turn difficult road games into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection 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 took hits a several times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It made no difference. Maye passed all three scoring throws 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, bouncing through reads 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, 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 quickly.
For the season, Maye has 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.
Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a complex offense. Too loose. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his scheme. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly once more, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.
His development has accelerated the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye used the season trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six games into his second season, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots into division contenders again.
Bears fans will find solace in witnessing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a possible great in five years. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking – and never locate a solution.
Securing a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It alters the personality of a fan base and franchise. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the gilded life. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve found the answer now. Get ready for your Masshole friends to regain their Brady-era bluster.
Player of the Week
JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to target JSN, constantly. The receiver answered with eight receptions for 162 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars 20-12. The Seahawks' D led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who supported the Seattle's attack, making up all 117 of the team's early yards via passing. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and perhaps the best 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 wrong side of yet another disappointing, late defeat. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. From there, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey seized control.
WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.
Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the first before throwing the second to the deck. He located his target in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in position for the winning kick.
It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: narrowly winning on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his protection flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the loss, 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.
Notable Statistic
Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB ended with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th start.
We know who Fields is now: an elite rusher who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass