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You have to feel for the Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, rotating through young players and placeholders. In contrast, after only half a decade of looking, the Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered the guy.

Half a decade. From Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones to Bailey Zappe to Maye’s first choppy season to this: a 23-year-old quarterback who appears to be a top-five starter and MVP candidate.

His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and surpassed the current MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an upset win over the division leaders, a trip 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 faltering in the red zone and settling for a field goal. It took Maye all of four plays to respond, uncorking a long pass to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, navigating the pocket to deliver a perfect pass deep. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His first half was so searing that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He finished 18 completions on 26 attempts for over 250 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it could have been more if not for a series of questionable officiating calls.

It was his fifth straight game with over 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have ever done that at 23 years old or less.

The best quarterbacks turn difficult road games into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and deliver key passes on important plays. The Patriots required all of Maye's flawless play to squeeze by the Saints. They couldn’t run the ball against a stout front. Their defense allowed multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.

Maye was hit a few times and tackled once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It didn’t matter. Maye passed all three touchdown passes under pressure, with all three going over 20 yards in the air.

It's beyond statistics. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s self-assured and calm 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 somewhat erratic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the confines of the system and getting the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

This year, Maye has 10 TD passes, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of failed schemes. Now, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a TWP in three games.

After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Scouts doubted his capacity to read complex defenses and operate a complex offense. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week once more, and Maye is piloting the offense like an experienced veteran.

His growth has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. 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. Instead, Maye has exceeded expectations. Six games into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.

Bears fans will find solace in seeing the progress of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to cringe. Because this is the ideal scenario when a franchise QB arrives. And for the other NFL 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 possible great in five years. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century searching – and never locate a solution.

Finding a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It alters the personality of a fan base and organization. For 20 years, the Pats lived the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about not constructing a bridge from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution today. Get ready for your New England pals to regain their championship confidence.

Player of the Week

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to look for Smith-Njigba, constantly. The wideout responded with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D led the way, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. 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 perhaps the best 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 Dolphins were on the losing end of another frustrating, last-minute loss. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth touchdown of the season. The Chargers then popped a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. From there, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, slipping past the first before throwing the second to the ground. He found his target in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in range for the winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the brilliance of their QB and his surrounding playmakers as his protection flails. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to one win and five losses. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another defeat, he’s losing time to keep his position.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields finished with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any game since the Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third professional start. Fields was in his 49th start.

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