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It's hard not to sympathize with the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and placeholders. In contrast, after just five years of looking, the New England Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered their man.

Five years. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a young quarterback who appears to be a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Orchard Park, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and outplayed the reigning MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a visit to a lousy Saints team 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 opting for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays 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, navigating the pocket to deliver a strike downfield. From there, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so searing that his alma mater was compelled to post. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it might have been better if not for a trio of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only the Chiefs' star, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have achieved that at 23 years old or less.

The top QBs turn difficult road games into ho-hum wins. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a strong defensive line. 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 was hit a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye passed all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the flight.

It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When needed, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and getting the ball where it needs to go quickly.

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 create plays out of broken plays. Now, he’s picking his moments. He has avoided a TWP in three outings.

After college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Scouts doubted his capacity to process sophisticated coverages and run a complex offense. Too loose. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week once more, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.

His development has sped up the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six matches into his second season, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots division contenders again.

Bears fans will take some comfort in witnessing the development of Caleb Williams. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise quarterback arrives. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots went from the GOAT to a possible great in five years. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find a solution.

Securing a franchise QB is about more than victories. It alters the personality of a fan base and franchise. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution today. Prepare for your Masshole friends to regain their championship confidence.

MVP of the Week

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to target Smith-Njigba, constantly. The wideout answered with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags 20-12. The Seahawks' D led the way, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all 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 squad – a 61-yard touchdown.

Video of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the losing end of another disappointing, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey took over.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert escaped two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging the initial before tossing the other to the ground. He located his target in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in range for the winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the brilliance of their QB and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a weak coverage. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to save his job.

Notable Statistic

Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields ended with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third game. Fields was making his 49th.

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