FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts – Rookie Drake Maye ran for a touchdown and led the New England Patriots to a 14-13 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night on two of the team’s three touchdown drives.
The No. 3 overall pick out of North Carolina only appeared in one series in the Patriots’ season opener, but played in the second and third quarters of that game. He finished the game 6 of 11 passing for 47 yards.
“I had some good plays and some bad plays. There are definitely a lot of things to learn from,” Maye said. “It was good to go out there and have some shots to learn from.”
Joey Slye, who is competing with incumbent Chad Ryland for the starting job, kicked two field goals for New England. The Patriots (1-1) finished the game with 11 first downs, but only four of those came in the final two quarters.
The Patriots led 13-6 in the fourth quarter when the Eagles caught up. Rookie running back Kendall Milton ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Tanner McGee combined with Ainias Smith to score the decisive 2-point conversion.
Jake Elliott also kicked two field goals for Philadelphia (2-0).
The Patriots’ Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett was underwhelming in his first quarter before being replaced by Maye. New England was three-and-out on the game’s first possession. The Patriots’ second drive ended when Brissett was intercepted in the end zone by Philadelphia’s Avonte Maddox.
After another three-and-out, Brissett was done and finished the game 3-of-7 for 17 yards.
Maye received a nice round of applause from the sparse crowd at Gillette Stadium as he checked in before the start of the second quarter. He gave fans even more reason to cheer after connecting with fellow rookie Javon Baker on a 12-yard toss on third down that helped New England finally tie the score at 3-3 after Slye’s 51-yard toss.
Maye ran into the end zone from 4 yards out on the first play after the two-minute warning, giving New England a 10-3 halftime lead.
“He was very composed,” said Jerod Mayo, the Patriots’ new head coach. “I thought it was a good drive. He did a lot of good things. Hopefully he can build on that and we’ll see how this week goes.”
Mayes’ performance in the third quarter started off rocky when he dropped the ball, but the Patriots recovered. New England managed just one third down in the third quarter and that came on defensive pass interference.
“Missed snaps are unforgivable to me,” Maye said.
Two days after the Eagles participated in a joint practice against the Patriots, Philadelphia decided to bench starting QB Jalen Hurts for the second straight preseason game. Backup Kenny Pickett played the entire first half, completing 11 of 13 passes, but only for 67 yards.
“Just take advantage of the finishes that are out there and try to drive the offense,” Pickett said. “The big plays will come sooner rather than later.”
Elliott scored the Eagles’ only points in the two quarters on a 42-yard run. He added a 38-yard run in the fourth quarter.
New England brought in Bailey Zappe with 2:25 left after rookie Joe Milton III completed 2 of 7 passes for 20 yards and failed to lead the offense to a first down on the ensuing drive after the Eagles took a lead with 4:23 left. Zappe’s attempt at a comeback ended when Philadelphia recovered a bad snap and played out the remaining 1:47.
McGee started the second half for the Eagles and finished 15 of 19 passing for 140 yards. Will Grier, who spent part of last season on New England’s practice squad, completed 3 of 5 passing for 35 yards for Philadelphia. Coach Nick Sirianni brought McGee back into the game in the fourth inning.
“Coach told us before the game that was going to be the game plan, and the coaches communicated it well,” McGee said. “I was just ready to go whenever they called me.”
SACKMASTER
The Patriots sacked Pickett four times in the first half, twice on consecutive plays that resulted in Philadelphia losing the ball with six minutes left in the second quarter. Joshua Uche, Keion White, Isaiah Bolden and Deatrich Wise Jr. were the sacks.
CONTINUE
For the first time since the 2020 season, the Patriots competed without pass rusher Matthew Judon as a member of the organization. The four-time Pro Bowl candidate was traded to Atlanta on Thursday, with New England receiving a 2025 third-round pick.
“Judon definitely left his mark on this building. He did a fantastic job of teaching the guys how he sees the game,” Wise said. “When you lose players, whether they get released or traded, it always impacts the locker room because we go through training camps and seasons … emotional team-building activities.”
INJURIES
Eagles: OL Tyler Steen was carried off the field on a cart in the first quarter. He was ruled out the rest of the game with an ankle injury. … WR John Ross was evaluated for a concussion and ultimately ruled out. Ross was targeted twice and caught one pass for 9 yards.
Patriots: Undrafted rookie WR JaQuae Jackson was carried off the field in the fourth inning with a leg injury. Jackson caught a touchdown pass in the preseason opener.
Next
Eagles: Host final preseason game on August 24 against Minnesota.
Patriots: Travel to Washington on August 25th.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the date of the Eagles’ next game is Aug. 24, rather than Aug. 25.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
