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You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, Jets, and Chicago Bears. These teams have spent decades in QB uncertainty, rotating through prospects and placeholders. Meanwhile, after only half a decade of looking, the New England Patriots – the post-Tom Brady Patriots – appear to have found 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 elite player and Most Valuable Player contender.

Last week was his breakout: a victory away in Buffalo, where Maye went throw-for-throw with Josh Allen and surpassed the reigning MVP in the final period. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Fresh off an surprise victory 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 stalling out in the redzone and opting for a field goal. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, launching a long pass to Pop Douglas for the leading score.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, climbing through the pocket to throw a strike downfield. After that, he kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in all parts of the playing surface. His opening two quarters was so searing that his alma mater was forced to tweet. He ended 18-of-26 for over 250 yards with three scores and zero giveaways. And it might have been better if not for a series of debatable referee decisions.

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

The top QBs turn difficult road games into routine victories. They don’t put the ball in harm’s way, keep the offense chugging and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots required all of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They struggled on the ground 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 few times and tackled once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye passed all three scoring throws under pressure, with each 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, scanning options to locate receivers. When needed, he can take off and create with his legs. As a first-year player, he was a somewhat erratic, escaping pressure at the initial hint of danger. But this season, he’s been more like Brady, adapting to the confines of the scheme and delivering the ball to the right spot quickly.

For the season, Maye has 10 TD passes, two running scores and just two interceptions. He’s halved his Turnover Worthy Play rate from his debut season, when he was always attempting to create plays out of failed schemes. Currently, he’s picking his moments. He hasn’t committed a turnover-worthy play in three outings.

After college, Maye was touted as a strong-armed passer. Evaluators doubted his ability to read complex defenses and operate a detailed system. Overly casual. Too reckless. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unlocked the entire range of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are shapeshifting weekly once more, and Maye is piloting the offense like an eight-year vet.

His development has sped up the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be second-year progress, you imagined it would be a gradual process. There would still exist the highlight throws, while Maye spent the season trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be progress. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six matches into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the league’s best – and he’s made the Patriots into division contenders once more.

Chicago supporters will take some comfort in seeing the development of their rookie QB. But if you’re a Browns or Jets fan, you have to wince. Because this is what it’s supposed to look like when a franchise quarterback arrives. And for the other NFL quarterback-starved franchises, it’s yet another reminder of how cruel and cyclical this sport can be. The Patriots moved from the greatest of all time to a possible great in five years. Certain franchises spend a quarter of a century looking – and still don’t find a solution.

Finding a franchise QB is about more than winning games. It alters 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 bridge from Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve discovered the solution today. Prepare for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

Player of the Week

JSN, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle’s only way forward was for Sam Darnold to target JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The wideout answered with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, as the Seahawks snuck past the Jags by eight points. The Seahawks' D led the way, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a year-high seven times. But it was Smith-Njigba who carried the Seattle's attack, making up 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.

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

Video of the Week

The Miami Dolphins were on the wrong side of another disappointing, late defeat. They gained a narrow lead over the Los Angeles Chargers with under a minute remaining, after Tua Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for his fourth score of the season. The Chargers returned a 40-yard return on the following kick. Then, Justin Herbert and his receiver seized control.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is mean. Amazingly, 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 move the ball in range for the winning kick.

It exemplifies the Chargers’ season: squeaking by on the excellence of Herbert and his teammates as his protection flails. And it reflects the Dolphins’ defense, too: a defensive pressure that can't complete sacks and a floundering secondary. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to one win and five losses. Painful late-game failures have become standard for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to save his job.

Stat of the Week

Minus-10. That’s the net passing yards Justin Fields ended with in the New York Jets' close defeat to the Broncos in the UK. It’s the fewest in any match since the San Diego Chargers had negative 19 in 1998. Back then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was in his 49th.

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