Its really unbelievable. I don't think there is anyone who had (or even has) expectations of a SB appearance this year. In fact I'd say anything outside of a blowout loss in the first round of the playoffs should feel like this was a great season and a building block for years to come. It's hard to believe that the Pats appear to have a franchise QB in the making. The hiatus between Tom leaving and Maye's arrival was 5 years - which is the blink of an eye despite all the negativity surrounding coaches BB, Matt Patricia, Jerrod, etc.. and QBs - from Cam to Mac to Zappe to Brissett... When you consider how long other franchises have waited (are still waiting) for a legit franchise QB - the Pats are ridiculously fortunate.
We could never have predicted what would happen in the Brady era (never will be duplicated) but there's a very different feel to the start of Maye's tenure - a feeling that there is an expectation of multiple SB appearances. Whereas Brady exceeded career expectations by Year 2, Maye will probably be seen as a disappointment if the Pats don't see a SB by 2027.