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It's hard not to sympathize with the Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have endured years in QB uncertainty, cycling between young players and placeholders. In contrast, after only half a decade 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 elite player and MVP candidate.

Last week was his breakout: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and surpassed the current MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an surprise victory over the division favorites, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints teased an upset. They ripped off a big play on the opening snap of the game, before faltering in the red zone and opting for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, uncorking a 53-yard pass to DeMario Douglas for the leading touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to throw a perfect pass downfield. From there, he didn’t let up: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the field. His opening two quarters was so impressive that even North Carolina was forced to tweet. He ended 18 completions on 26 attempts for 261 yards with three touchdowns and zero giveaways. 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 passer rating above 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys' QB, and Dan Marino have achieved that at age 23 or younger.

The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to narrowly defeat the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a stout front. Their defense allowed multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he delivered under fire.

Maye was hit a few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was continuous. It made no difference. Maye passed all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the air.

It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, scanning options to locate receivers. When necessary, 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 this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, conforming to the structure of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

This year, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two running scores and only two picks. He’s halved his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to create plays out of failed schemes. Now, he’s choosing wisely. He has avoided a TWP in three games.

Coming out of college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his ability to read complex defenses and run a complex offense. Too loose. Too reckless. But Josh McDaniels, in his third stint as New England's OC, has unlocked the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn't restricted; 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' schedule. If there were to be second-year progress, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye used the season trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has smashed predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s made the Patriots playoff hopefuls again.

Bears fans will take some comfort 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 what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback emerges. And for the rest of the league’s teams lacking QBs, it’s another example of how cruel and cyclical this game can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a potential star in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century searching – and still don’t find anyone.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about more than winning games. It alters the identity of a fanbase and franchise. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the gilded life. But the recent years have been about failing to build 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.

MVP of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle’s only way forward was for their QB to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver answered with eight catches for over 150 yards and a score on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D led the way, pressuring Trevor Lawrence and sacking him a year-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who supported the Seattle's attack, accounting for all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. 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 yet another frustrating, late defeat. They took a one-point lead over the Los Angeles 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, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is brutal. Amazingly, Herbert escaped two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the initial before throwing the second to the deck. He located his target in the short area, who faked out a defender to move the ball in position for the winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the excellence of Herbert and his surrounding playmakers as his protection flails. And it sums up 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. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to keep his position.

Stat of the Week

Minus-10. That’s the passing yardage the Jets' QB ended with in the New York Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers started a rookie making his third game. Fields was in his 49th start.

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