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It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, Jets, and Bears. These teams have spent decades in QB uncertainty, cycling between young players and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of searching, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – appear to have found the guy.

Five years. From Brady through Newton, Jones, Zappe, and Maye's rocky start to now: a young quarterback who looks like a elite player and MVP candidate.

Last week was his breakout: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye matched throws with Josh Allen and outplayed the reigning MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been even more impressive. Coming off an upset win over the division favorites, a visit to a lousy Saints team had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. They executed a large gain on the opening snap of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, uncorking a 53-yard deep ball to Pop Douglas for the leading touchdown.

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

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to throw a strike deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye dominated the Saints in all parts of the field. His first half was so impressive that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And it could have been more if not for a trio of debatable referee decisions.

It was his fifth straight game with at least 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have achieved that at age 23 or younger.

The top QBs convert tough away matches into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on important plays. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a strong defensive line. Their defense allowed multiple big gains. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he delivered under fire.

Maye took hits a several times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each traveling 20 yards or more in the air.

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 run and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a somewhat erratic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the confines of the scheme and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

For the season, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and only two picks. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to conjure magic out of broken plays. Now, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three outings.

After college, Maye was billed as a strong-armed passer. Scouts questioned his ability to process sophisticated coverages and run a detailed system. Overly casual. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the entire range of his scheme. Maye isn't restricted; he’s being trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly again, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.

His development has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye used the year trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has smashed expectations. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s become one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots division contenders once more.

Bears fans will take some comfort in seeing the development of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to cringe. 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 another example of how harsh and repetitive this sport can be. The Patriots went from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Some teams spend a 25 years looking – and never locate a solution.

Finding a franchise quarterback is about beyond winning games. It alters the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a transition from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer now. Get ready 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 their QB to look for JSN, constantly. The receiver responded with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 targets, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and dropping him a year-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seattle's attack, accounting for all 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards via passing. That included a long TD and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.

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

Video of the Week

The Dolphins were on the losing end of another disappointing, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey took over.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is mean. Somehow, Herbert escaped two oncoming pass-rushers, dodging the first before tossing the other to the deck. He found McConkey in the flat, who faked out a defender to move the ball in position for the winning field goal.

It sums up the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of Herbert and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become common for the Dolphins. With another defeat, he’s losing time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields finished with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London. It’s the fewest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Back then, the Chargers had a rookie 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