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You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between young players and temporary starters. In contrast, after just five years of looking, the New England Patriots – the after-Brady Patriots – seem to have discovered their man.

Half a decade. 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 Most Valuable Player contender.

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 fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been more remarkable. Coming off an upset win over the division favorites, a trip to a struggling Saints squad had risk of a slump. And the Saints threatened early. They ripped off a big play on the first play of the game, before faltering in the redzone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to answer, uncorking a 53-yard deep ball to Pop Douglas for the leading score.

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 kept pushing: Maye dominated the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His first half was so impressive that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He finished 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three touchdowns and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a trio of debatable referee decisions.

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

The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into routine victories. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on important plays. The Patriots required all of Maye's flawless play to narrowly defeat the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a stout front. Their defense allowed multiple big gains. This was a contest decided by Maye’s right arm. And he delivered under fire.

Maye was hit a few times and sacked once, but the defensive pressure was constant. It made no difference. Maye threw all three touchdown passes under pressure, with each going over 20 yards in the flight.

It’s not just the numbers. It’s Maye's demeanor. He’s confident and composed in the pocket, bouncing through reads to find open targets. When needed, he can take off and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a somewhat erratic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But now, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the structure of the scheme and delivering the ball where it needs to go in a hurry.

This year, Maye has 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and just two interceptions. 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 turnover-worthy play in three games.

Coming out of college, Maye was billed as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators questioned his ability to read complex defenses and operate a detailed system. Overly casual. Overly risky. But Josh McDaniels, in his third tour as New England's OC, has unlocked the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving weekly again, and Maye is leading the offense like an experienced veteran.

His growth has accelerated the Patriots’ timeline. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you expected it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the spectacular passes, while Maye spent the year trying to cut his brain-farts-per-game in half. That would be progress. Instead, Maye has smashed predictions. Six matches into his second season, he’s become one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots into playoff hopefuls again.

Bears fans will find solace 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 the ideal scenario when a franchise QB arrives. 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 potential star in half a decade. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find a solution.

Securing a franchise QB is about beyond winning games. It alters the personality of a fan base and organization. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about failing to build a transition from Tom Brady to the next era. They’ve found the answer now. Prepare for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

MVP of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for their QB to target JSN, constantly. The receiver responded with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a year-high seven sacks. But it was JSN who carried the Seahawks’ offense, accounting for all 117 of the team's early yards through the air. That featured a 61-yard touchdown and maybe the nastiest route we’ll see from a receiver all year.

JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his first play with his new team – a 61-yard touchdown.

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 48 seconds left, after Tua Tagovailoa found his tight end for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey seized control.

WILD PLAY BY HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Wow. That is mean. Amazingly, Herbert was able to evade two defenders, slipping past the first before throwing the second to the deck. He found McConkey in the flat, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to advance in range for the winning kick.

It exemplifies the Chargers' year: narrowly winning on the excellence of Herbert and his teammates as his offensive line struggles. And it reflects the Miami's D, too: a pass-rush that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Miserable second-half collapses have become standard for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the net passing yards the Jets' QB ended with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any match since the Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers had a rookie making his third game. Fields was in his 49th start.

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