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You have to feel for the Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have endured years in quarterback purgatory, rotating through prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after just five years of looking, the Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found their man.

Five years. 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.

His breakout performance came last week: 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 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 threatened early. They executed a large gain on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the red zone and settling for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, uncorking a long pass to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.

Drake Maye connects with Pop Douglas on a 53-yard bomb!

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the pocket to deliver a strike deep. After that, he kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the field. His opening two quarters was so impressive that even North Carolina was compelled to post. He finished 18 completions on 26 attempts for 261 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a series of debatable referee decisions.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with over 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have ever done that at 23 years old or less.

The top QBs convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on important plays. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye's flawless play to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a strong defensive line. Their defense gave up multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he delivered under fire.

Maye took hits a few times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye threw all three scoring throws under pressure, with all three traveling 20 yards or more in the air.

It’s not just the numbers. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s self-assured and calm in the pocket, bouncing through reads to locate receivers. When needed, he can take off and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, escaping pressure at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the confines of the system and getting the ball where it needs to go quickly.

This year, Maye has 10 TD passes, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three outings.

After college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his capacity to read complex defenses and run a detailed system. Overly casual. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third stint as New England's OC, has unlocked the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week once more, and Maye is piloting the attack like an experienced veteran.

His growth has accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his sophomore year, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots into playoff hopefuls once more.

Chicago supporters will take some comfort in witnessing the development of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Cleveland or New York follower, you have to cringe. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise QB emerges. 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 moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a 25 years searching – and never locate a solution.

Securing a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It alters the identity of a fan base and franchise. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the gilded life. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve discovered the solution now. Prepare for your New England pals to regain their championship confidence.

Player of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target Smith-Njigba, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout responded with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D set the tone, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a year-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seattle's attack, accounting for all the first 117 of the team's early yards via passing. That featured a long TD and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new team – a 61-yard TD.

Video of the Week

The Dolphins were on the wrong side of another disappointing, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found his tight end for his fourth score of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey took over.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the initial before tossing the other to the ground. He located his target in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in range for the winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the brilliance of Herbert and his teammates as his offensive line struggles. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins dropped to 1-5. Painful late-game failures have become common for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s running out of time to keep his position.

Notable Statistic

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB finished with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was making his 49th start.

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