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It's hard not to sympathize with the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Bears. These teams have endured years in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found 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 elite player and MVP candidate.

Last week was his breakout: a victory away 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. Fresh off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a visit to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a big play on the first play of the game, before faltering in the redzone and settling for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, uncorking a 53-yard pass to DeMario Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, navigating the protection to deliver a perfect pass deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the field. His first half was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with at least 200 yards and a passer rating north of 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have ever done that at 23 years old or less.

The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. 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 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 passed all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.

It's beyond statistics. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the pocket, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When necessary, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been more like Brady, adapting to the structure of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

For the season, Maye is up to 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 broken plays. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He has avoided a turnover-worthy play in three outings.

After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly once more, and Maye is piloting the attack 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 exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent 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 sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots division contenders again.

Chicago supporters will find solace in witnessing the progress of their rookie QB. 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 rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical 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 never locate a solution.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about beyond victories. It alters the identity of a fanbase and organization. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a bridge from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer today. Prepare for your New England pals to regain their championship confidence.

Player of the Week

JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to target Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars by eight points. The Seahawks' D led the way, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a season-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 through the air. That featured a long TD and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new squad – a 61-yard touchdown.

Highlight of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of another frustrating, last-minute loss. 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 season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, dodging the initial before tossing the other to the ground. He located McConkey in the flat, who faked out a defender to move the ball in range for the game-winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his offensive line struggles. And it sums up the Miami's D, too: a defensive pressure that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to keep his position.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was making his 49th.

We know what Fields is now: an exceptional runner who struggles to decipher the {passing game|pass