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You have to feel for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. Those franchises have spent decades in quarterback purgatory, cycling between prospects and temporary starters. In contrast, after just five years of looking, the New England Patriots – the post-Tom 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 looks like a top-five starter and Most Valuable Player contender.

His breakout performance came last week: a road win in Orchard Park, where Maye matched throws with the Bills' star and outplayed the current MVP in the fourth quarter. But the Saints game on Sunday may have been even more impressive. Coming off an upset win over the division favorites, a visit to a struggling Saints squad had potential for a letdown. And the Saints teased an upset. They executed a large gain on the first play of the game, before stalling out in the redzone and opting for a three points. It took Maye just four snaps to respond, launching a 53-yard pass to Pop Douglas for the leading touchdown.

Drake Maye goes 53 yards deep to Pop Douglas!

It was Maye at his best, navigating the protection to throw a strike deep. After that, he kept pushing: Maye torched the Saints in every area of the playing surface. His first half was so impressive that his alma mater was compelled to post. He finished 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 debatable referee decisions.

It was his fifth consecutive outing with at least 200 yards and a QB rating north of 100. Only Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and the Hall of Famer have ever done that at 23 years old or less.

The best quarterbacks convert tough away matches into ho-hum wins. They avoid risky throws, maintain offensive momentum and make the decisive throws on crucial downs. The Patriots needed every bit of Maye’s near perfection to squeeze by the Saints. They struggled on the ground against a strong defensive line. Their defense allowed multiple chunk plays. This was a contest decided by Maye's passing. And he performed under pressure.

Maye took hits a few times and sacked once, but the pressure he faced was constant. It made no difference. Maye passed all three touchdown passes while pressured, with all three going over 20 yards in the flight.

It's beyond statistics. It’s how Maye carries himself. He’s confident and composed in the protection, scanning options to locate receivers. When needed, he can run and create with his legs. As a rookie, he was a little chaotic, fleeing the pocket at the first sign of trouble. But this season, he’s been reminiscent of Brady, adapting to the structure of the system and delivering the ball where it needs to go quickly.

This year, Maye is up to 10 TD passes, two rushing touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s reduced by half his risky play percentage from his debut season, when he was constantly trying to conjure magic out of broken plays. Currently, he’s choosing wisely. He has avoided a TWP in three outings.

After college, Maye was touted as a big-armed bomber. Scouts questioned his ability to read complex defenses and operate a detailed system. Too loose. Overly risky. But the offensive coordinator, in his third tour as Patriots offensive coordinator, has unleashed the full breadth of his playbook. Maye isn’t being limited; he’s being relied on. The Patriots are evolving each week once more, and Maye is leading the offense like an eight-year vet.

His development has accelerated the Patriots' schedule. If there were to be second-year progress, you expected it would be a gradual process. There would still be the highlight throws, while Maye used the season trying to cut his mental errors in half. That would be improvement. In contrast, Maye has exceeded predictions. Six games into his sophomore year, he’s turned into one of the NFL's top players – and he’s transformed the Patriots playoff hopefuls once more.

Chicago supporters will take some comfort in witnessing 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 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. Some teams spend a quarter of a century looking – and never locate a solution.

Finding a franchise QB is about more than winning games. It changes the identity of a fan base and franchise. For 20 years, the Patriots enjoyed the privileged existence. But the last few seasons have been about not constructing a bridge from Tom Brady to whatever would come next. They’ve found the answer now. Get ready for your New England pals to rediscover their Brady-era bluster.

MVP of the Week

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks. Against a tough Jacksonville D, Seattle's sole option was for Sam Darnold to look for JSN, anywhere and everywhere. The receiver responded with eight catches for over 150 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, as the Seahawks edged the Jags by eight points. Seattle’s defense set the tone, pressuring the Jaguars' QB and sacking him a season-high seven sacks. But it was Smith-Njigba who supported the Seattle's attack, accounting for all the first 117 of the Seahawks’ initial 117 yards through the air. That featured a long TD and perhaps the best route we’ll see from a pass-catcher all year.

JSN outmaneuvered new Jaguars corner Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new squad – a 61-yard TD.

Highlight of the Week

The Dolphins were on the wrong side of another frustrating, late defeat. They gained a narrow lead over the Chargers with under a minute remaining, 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, the Chargers' QB and his receiver took over.

INCREDIBLE PLAY FROM HERBERT AND MCCONKEY.

Hoo boy. That is brutal. Somehow, Herbert was able to evade two oncoming pass-rushers, slipping past the first before tossing the other to the deck. He found his target in the flat, who faked out a defender to move the ball in range for the winning kick.

It sums up the Chargers' year: squeaking by on the brilliance of Herbert and his teammates as his protection flails. And it reflects the Miami's D, 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. Miserable second-half collapses have become common for the Dolphins. With another rough loss, he’s losing time to save his job.

Notable Statistic

Negative 10. That’s the passing yardage Justin Fields finished with in the Jets’ close defeat to the Denver Broncos in London. It’s the lowest in any match since the San Diego Chargers had minus-19 in 1998. Even then, the Chargers started Ryan Leaf making his third game. Fields was in his 49th start.

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