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You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have endured years in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of looking, the Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered their man.

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 Most Valuable Player contender.

His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Coming off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip to a lousy Saints team had risk of a slump. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before faltering in the redzone and opting for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, uncorking a long deep ball to DeMario Douglas for the leading touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, climbing through the pocket to throw a strike downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the field. His opening two quarters was so searing that even North Carolina was compelled to post. He ended 18-of-26 for 261 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 above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have achieved that at age 23 or younger.

The top QBs convert tough away matches into routine victories. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, keep the offense chugging and deliver key passes on important plays. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to narrowly defeat the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a stout front. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.

Maye was hit a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three scoring throws under pressure, with each going over 20 yards in the flight.

It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When necessary, he can take off and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, escaping pressure at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the confines of the system and getting the ball to the right spot in a hurry.

For the season, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three games.

Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his ability to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly once more, and Maye is piloting the attack like an eight-year vet.

His growth has accelerated the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still be the spectacular passes, while Maye used the year trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six games into his sophomore year, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into playoff hopefuls again.

Bears fans will find solace in witnessing 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 arrives. And for the other NFL 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 five years. Certain franchises spend a 25 years searching – and still don’t find anyone.

Finding a franchise QB is about more than winning games. It changes the personality of a fan base and franchise. For two decades, the Pats lived the gilded life. But the recent years 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 Masshole friends to regain their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to look for JSN, constantly. The wideout answered with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense set the tone, hounding the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a season-high seven times. But it was JSN who supported the Seattle's attack, accounting for all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.

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

Video of the Week

The Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller 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 took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the initial before throwing the second to the ground. He located his target in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in position for the game-winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his protection flails. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks and a weak coverage. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB finished with in the New York Jets' close defeat 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 professional start. Fields was in his 49th start.

It's clear who Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to read the {passing game|pass