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It's hard not to sympathize with the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of looking, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found their man.

Half a decade. From Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones to Bailey Zappe to Maye’s first choppy season to this: a 23-year-old quarterback who appears to be a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and outplayed the current MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip 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 stalling out in the redzone and settling for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, launching a long pass 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 deliver a strike downfield. After that, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three scores and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 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 routine victories. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to narrowly defeat the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a stout front. Their defense allowed multiple big gains. This was a game that had to be won by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.

Maye took hits a several times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three touchdown passes under pressure, with all three 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 protection, scanning options to locate receivers. When needed, he can run and improvise on the ground. As a first-year player, he was a little chaotic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, adapting to the confines of the scheme and getting the ball to the right spot quickly.

For the season, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, 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 conjure magic out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He has avoided a TWP in three games.

Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Scouts questioned his ability to process sophisticated coverages and run a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is leading the offense like an experienced veteran.

His growth has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye used the year trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed predictions. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls once more.

Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the progress of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to wince. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise QB emerges. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots moved from the GOAT to a potential star in five years. Some teams spend a quarter of a century searching – and still don’t find a solution.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about more than victories. It changes the personality of a fan base and organization. For 20 years, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their championship confidence.

Player of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for Smith-Njigba, constantly. The wideout answered with eight receptions for 162 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars by eight points. Seattle’s defense led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who carried the Seattle's attack, accounting for all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That included a 61-yard touchdown and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.

JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his first play with his new team – a 61-yard touchdown.

Video of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another frustrating, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the first before tossing the other to the ground. He located his target in the flat, who faked out a defender to move the ball in range for the game-winning kick.

It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: narrowly winning on the brilliance of their QB and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Miami's D, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become common for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to keep his position.

Stat of the Week

Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB finished with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th.

It's clear what Fields is now: an elite rusher who has difficulty to decipher the {passing game|pass