You have to feel for the Browns, Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through 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 Mayes first choppy season to this: a 23-year-old quarterback who looks like a top-five starter and MVP candidate.
Last week was his breakout: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and outplayed the reigning MVP in the fourth quarter. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division favorites, a trip to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset early. They ripped off a big play on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and settling for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, uncorking a 53-yard deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.
It was Maye at his best, climbing through the pocket to deliver a strike downfield. From there, he didnt let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the field. His first half was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for 261 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.
It was his fifth straight game with at least 200 yards and a passer rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have ever done that at age 23 or younger.
The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. They dont put the ball in harms way, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Mayes near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They couldnt run the ball against a stout front. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a game that had to be won by Mayes right arm. And he delivered under fire.
Maye was hit a few times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It didnt matter. Maye threw all three touchdown passes under pressure, with all three traveling 20 yards or more in the air.
Its not just the numbers though. Its how Maye carries himself. Hes confident and composed in the pocket, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When needed, he can take off and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, hes been more like Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and getting the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.
For the season, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. Hes halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of broken plays. Now, hes picking his moments. He hasnt committed a TWP in three games, per PFF.
Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators questioned his ability to process sophisticated coverages and operate a complex offense. Too loose. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his scheme. Maye isnt being limited; hes being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.
His growth has accelerated the Patriots timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye spent the season trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his second season, hes turned into one of the leagues best and hes made the Patriots division contenders again.
Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the development of Caleb Williams. But if youre a Browns or Jets fan, you have to wince. Because this is what its supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback arrives. And for the rest of the leagues quarterback-starved franchises, its yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a possible great in half a decade. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking and still dont find anyone.
Finding a franchise quarterback is about more than winning games. It alters 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 bridge from Brady to whatever would come next. Theyve found the answer now. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattles only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver responded with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags 20-12. Seattles defense led the way, 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 through the air. That included a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route well see from a receiver all year.
The Dolphins were on the wrong side of yet another disappointing, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey took over:
Hoo boy. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the first before tossing the other to the deck. He found McConkey in the flat, who put a Dolphins corner on skates to move the ball in range 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 offensive line flails. And it sums up the Dolphins defense, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for Mike McDaniels team. With another rough loss, hes running out of time to save his job.
Minus-10. Thats the net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the Jets 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. Its the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998, according to the Associated Press. Even then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th.
We know who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to decipher the passing game. Hes late to read defenses, late to let the ball go and struggles with the rhythmic demands of the league. And against a fearsome Broncos defensive front, Fields flaws were brutally exposed. He was sacked as many times (nine) as he completed a pass.
Despite falling to 0-6 and his quarterbacks continuing struggles, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said post-game he is not considering benching Fields. Theres 11 games left, Fields said. Based on Sundays performance, that sounds more like a threat than words of encouragement.
— The Chiefs loss to the Jaguars in Week 5 looks more like a blip than a crisis after Kansas City dominated the Detroit Lions in a 30-17 win on Sunday night. Yes, the Lions have a depleted secondary but Mahomes who had three passing TDs and another rushing was excellent as he found Travis Kelce time and again. And remember that Mahomes has another target, Rashee Rice, returning from suspension next week. The Lions shouldnt be too disheartened, many of their injured players will return in a month or so, just in time for a late season charge. The game also featured an entertainingly petty scuffle between the teams after Brian Branch apparently refused to high-five Mahomes at the end of the contest.
— They wasnt bucked up, Panthers running back Rico Dowdle said after gaining 239 yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown against the Cowboys. On the list of Dallas offseason sins, not extending Dowdle after he rushed for 1,000 yards last season is rising. The Panthers scooped him up on a bargain deal, and he ran all over the Cowboys hapless defense in Sundays 30-27 win. Note from NFL Research: Dowdles 239 scrimmage yards are the most by a player in a game against his former team in league history.
— Who had Baker Mayfield as an MVP frontrunner six weeks into the season? The Bucs quarterback kept up his early-season heater in a 30-19 win over the Niners, who lost star linebacker Fred Warner for the season to a horrible ankle injury. It was a game in which Mayfield, already down two starting receivers, lost rookie phenom Emeka Egbuka to a hamstring injury. The Bucs were also forced to play their sixth-string guard. Neither setback bothered Mayfield, who completed 17-of-23 pass attempts for 256 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. And he added another play to his MVP reel. On a crucial third-and-14, Baker went full Beast Mode, slipping away from a sack, scrambling, stiff-arming a defender, then diving through two tacklers to pick up a first down. Two plays later, he delivered a 45-yard dart to rookie Tez Johnson for a touchdown.
— It was another disastrous performance for the Cowboys defense, but their offense continues to be excellent despite missing all five of their starters on the offensive line. Dak Prescott completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 261 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers or sacks against the Panthers. George Pickens was his go-to target, and he fried Carolinas undermanned secondary for 168 yards and a touchdown on nine grabs. The Prescott-to-Pickens connection has been everything Dallas hoped for after acquiring the former Steelers receiver in the offseason. Attention will quickly turn to Pickenss upcoming contract extension. Will Jerry Jones fork over $100m-plus for another receiver after inking CeeDee Lamb to a long-term extension and trading away Micah Parsons, in part, to save money?
— It was a survive and advance week for the Colts, who needed a late redzone stop to knock off a feisty Cardinals team 31-27. Indys offense continued to roll, putting up 30 points for the fourth time this season. But Indys defense struggled to contain a Cardinals offense led by backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who may have forced some in Arizona to take a sideways glance at Kyler Murray.
— What is going on in Indianapolis during warmups? Backup quarterback and potential trade candidate Anthony Richardson sustained an orbital fracture in the locker room prior to the Colts game against the Cardinals. According to ESPN, Richardson was hit in the eye by an exercise band when a device malfunctioned. Richardson was not the only one who suffered before the game: Charvarius Ward was ruled out with a concussion after he accidentally collided with tight end Alec Ogletree.
— The hampered Ravens dropped to 1-5 after losing 17-3 at home to the Rams, making it the worst start to a season in Jon Harbaughs 18-year tenure with the franchise. Baltimore will hit the bye at the lowest ebb of the Harbaugh era. If they can get the bulk of their starters back from injury after the break, they could still make a playoff run. But the odds of turning the season around are dwindling. Since the current playoff format started in 2020, only one team Washington in 2020 has started 1-5 and made the playoffs.
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