While the competition for the quarterback position in New England is still ongoing, Jacoby Brissett was injured and Drake Maye showed off his skills in the Patriots’ final preseason game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.
Brissett started against Washington’s substitute and suffered The Patriots announced was a right shoulder injury on New England’s first drive of the game. Commanders defensive end KJ Wright ran unchallenged through the New England backfield and sacked Brissett, slamming his body into the turf.
Brissett grimaced after the hit but stayed in the game to finish the drive, throwing two more passes before the Patriots punted. The next time New England’s offense took the field, Maye was at quarterback.
Cameras, meanwhile, caught Brissett holding his shoulder on the sideline, but it was unclear how much the decision had to do with an injury. Head coach Jerod Mayo said before the game that Brissett was expected to play only one or two series.
In the second quarter, the Patriots finally announced that Brissett had suffered a right shoulder injury. Officially, his return to action was listed as questionable, but his night in a preseason game was clearly over.
Maye led the offense through the end of the first half, and his first drive was his most impressive performance of the preseason. Facing third-and-14 inside New England’s 10-yard line, Maye found a gap at the line of scrimmage and was able to break free for a fight through the Commanders’ defense, which was playing against a long pass.
Maye is best known in North Carolina for his arm strength and is a skilled athlete and playmaker with his feet.
Two plays later, Maye showed what he was capable of. On second and second down at New England’s 33-yard line, Maye found fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk (second-round pick) on the field with a play-action pass, who was out of reach of Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. The play went for 29 yards and a first down.
Maye completed three more passes later in the drive, ending with a swing pass to running back Kevin Harris for an 18-yard touchdown.
Maye finished the drive by completing 5 of 6 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown in addition to his 17-yard run.
Maye closed out the first half for New England. The Patriots didn’t score again, but Maye continued to show his potential with a deep touchdown that was negated by a penalty when he had the chance in the two-minute drill.
Facing a second-and-10 attempt at Washington’s 48-yard line, Maye escaped pressure, ran left, and then threw a deep pass to KJ Osborn, who was completely open on the sideline at the 10-yard line. Osbrone then ran the ball in for a potential touchdown.
But an illegal lineup penalty against left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor invalidated the play. The penalty was indicative of an offensive line that struggled against Washington’s backup players in the first half.
Maye finished the first half with no turnovers, completing 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards (6.3 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. He added 17 yards on the ground. He did not return for the start of the second half.
Maye didn’t have to face NFL starters on defense either, but the performance was certainly a confidence boost for a rookie quarterback fresh out of training camp.
The question now is: Who will start in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals? Maye – the No. 3 pick in April’s draft – is clearly the starter of the future. But there are good reasons to keep him on the bench early in his career.
Early reports out of training camp said Maye is still inexperienced and could benefit from some experience on the bench. And there’s no rush in New England. This Patriots team isn’t built to win right now, and it’s not expected to be anywhere close to contending in the AFC East. It’s an ideal situation to slowly ease a young quarterback into his new role – especially with a seasoned veteran and capable starter in Brissett on the roster.
Maye has made strides since then, including in Sunday’s game and a performance in the second week of preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles that earned praise from Mayo.
“He’s definitely taken a step forward,” Mayo said after the Eagles game. “The competition isn’t over. They’re still going to go out there and show not only themselves and their coaches but their teammates what they can do. So it’s definitely still a competition.”
Of course, if Brissett is truly injured, that changes the calculus of Mayo’s decision. The preseason is over and the Patriots have two weeks off from competition before their season opener on September 8 – a period in which Mayo will name a starting quarterback.
