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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, rotating through young players and placeholders. In contrast, after only half a decade of looking, the New England Patriots – the after-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 top-five starter and Most Valuable Player contender.

His breakout performance came last week: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with the Bills' star and outplayed the reigning MVP in the final period. But Sunday in New Orleans may have been more remarkable. Fresh off an upset win over the division favorites, a visit to a lousy Saints team had potential for a letdown. And the Saints threatened early. They ripped off a big play on the first play of the game, before faltering in the redzone and settling for a three points. It took Maye all of four plays to answer, launching a 53-yard pass to Pop Douglas for the go-ahead touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye in peak form, navigating the protection to deliver a strike downfield. After that, he kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the field. His first half was so impressive that even North Carolina was compelled to post. He ended 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 consecutive outing with at least 200 yards and a QB rating above 100. Only the Chiefs' star, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino have ever done that at age 23 or younger.

The top QBs convert tough away matches into routine victories. They avoid risky throws, keep the offense chugging and deliver key passes on crucial downs. 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 big gains. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.

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 all three traveling 20 yards or more in the flight.

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 necessary, he can take off and improvise on the ground. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But now, he’s been more like Brady, conforming to the structure of the scheme and delivering the ball to the right spot quickly.

This year, Maye is up to 10 passing touchdowns, two running scores and only two picks. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his rookie year, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three games.

After college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Evaluators doubted his ability to process sophisticated coverages and run a complex offense. Too loose. 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 trusted. The Patriots are shapeshifting each week once more, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.

His development has accelerated the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be sophomore improvement, you imagined it would be a slow burn. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye used the year trying to reduce his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. Instead, Maye has smashed expectations. Six games into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s transformed the Patriots into division contenders 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 the ideal scenario when a franchise QB emerges. 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 searching – and never locate a solution.

Securing a franchise quarterback is about beyond victories. It changes the personality of a fan base and franchise. For two decades, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the recent years have been about not constructing a transition from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer today. Get ready for your Masshole friends to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

MVP of the Week

JSN, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a stifling Jaguars defense, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to target Smith-Njigba, constantly. The receiver responded with eight catches for over 150 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jaguars 20-12. Seattle’s defense led the way, hounding Trevor Lawrence and dropping him a season-high seven times. But it was JSN who supported the Seahawks’ offense, making up all 117 of the team's early yards through the air. That included a 61-yard touchdown 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 first play with his new squad – a 61-yard touchdown.

Highlight of the Week

The Dolphins were on the losing end of yet another disappointing, last-minute loss. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, after their QB found Darren Waller for his fourth touchdown of the year. The Chargers returned a 40-yard kickoff on the following kick. From there, the Chargers' QB and Ladd McConkey seized control.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert escaped two defenders, dodging the initial before tossing the other to the deck. He located his target in the short area, who put a Dolphins’ corner on skates to move the ball in position for the winning field goal.

It exemplifies the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the brilliance of Herbert and his teammates as his protection struggles. And it sums up the Dolphins’ defense, too: a pass-rush that struggles to finish and a floundering secondary. With the defeat, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become standard for Mike McDaniel’s team. With another rough loss, he’s running out of time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields ended with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in the UK. It’s the lowest in any game since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in the late 90s. Even then, the Chargers had Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was making his 49th start.

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