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It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, New York Jets, and Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and placeholders. In contrast, after only half a decade of searching, the Patriots – the post-Tom 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 top-five starter and MVP candidate.

Last week was his breakout: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and outplayed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. 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 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 answer, uncorking a long pass to DeMario 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 kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in all parts 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 consecutive outing with at least 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and the Hall of Famer have ever done that at age 23 or younger.

The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a strong defensive line. Their defense allowed 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 tackled once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the flight.

It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the protection, scanning options to find open targets. When needed, 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, conforming to the structure of the scheme and getting the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

This year, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of broken plays. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.

After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators questioned his ability to read complex defenses and run a complex offense. Overly casual. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as New England's OC, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are evolving 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 second-year progress, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye spent the year trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s transformed the Patriots into division contenders once more.

Chicago supporters will find solace in seeing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to wince. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback arrives. 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 went from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century looking – and never locate a solution.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about more than victories. It alters the personality of a fan base and organization. For two decades, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve found the answer today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their championship confidence.

Player of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to look for Smith-Njigba, constantly. The receiver responded with eight receptions 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, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and dropping him a season-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who supported the Seattle's attack, making up all the first 117 of the team's early yards through the air. That included 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 team – 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 then popped a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and his receiver took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the initial before throwing the second to the deck. He found his target in the flat, who faked out a defender to move the ball in position for the winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the brilliance of Herbert and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to save his job.

Notable Statistic

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any game since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third game. Fields was in his 49th start.

We know what Fields is now: an elite rusher who struggles to read the {passing game|pass