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It's hard not to sympathize with the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have endured years in QB uncertainty, cycling between young players and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of looking, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found the guy.

Five years. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a young quarterback who looks like a elite player and Most Valuable Player contender.

Last week was his breakout: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and surpassed the current MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Coming 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 ripped off a big play on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, launching a 53-yard pass to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead score.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, climbing through the protection to throw a perfect pass downfield. After that, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His first half was so impressive that his alma mater 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 series of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a passer rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have achieved that at 23 years old or less.

The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. 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 struggled on the ground against a strong defensive line. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. 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 pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three scoring throws while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the air.

It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, scanning options to find open targets. 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 now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the confines of the system and getting the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

This year, Maye has 10 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three outings.

Coming out of college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Scouts questioned his capacity to read complex defenses and operate a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving weekly again, and Maye is leading the offense like an eight-year vet.

His growth has accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye used the season trying to reduce his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed predictions. Six games into his second season, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s transformed the Patriots playoff hopefuls again.

Chicago supporters will find solace in seeing the progress of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise QB arrives. And for the rest of the league’s quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how harsh and repetitive this game can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT to a potential star in half a decade. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and still don’t find anyone.

Securing a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It alters the personality of a fan base and organization. For two decades, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the recent years have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve found the answer today. Get ready for your Masshole friends to regain their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver responded with eight catches for over 150 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense led the way, hounding the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a year-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who carried the Seattle's attack, accounting for all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 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 team – a 61-yard touchdown.

Video 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 Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey seized control.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, slipping past the first before throwing the second to the ground. He located McConkey in the short area, who faked out a defender to move the ball in position for the winning field goal.

It sums up the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of their QB and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become common for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to keep his position.

Notable Statistic

Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB ended with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third game. Fields was in his 49th start.

We know what Fields is now: an exceptional runner who has difficulty to read the {passing game|pass