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After an impressive performance in Thursday’s preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Drake Maye has returned to the New England Patriots’ starting lineup when the regular season begins.
Speaking to reporters Friday morning, head coach Jerod Mayo stated that the “competition between Maye and Jacoby Brissett is not over” as he entered the final days of training camp.
“You know, we still have three days of training camp left and it’s our job as coaches to judge that. The competition is not over,” Mayo said. “They’re still going to go out there and have to show not only themselves and their coaches but their teammates what they can do. So it’s definitely still a competition.”
Mayo used Maye on just one series in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers. It was hard to accurately gauge his play since the sample size was so limited, but he did complete two of his three attempts for 19 yards.
Thursday night was a better indicator of what Maye is capable of. He completed 6 of 11 passes for 47 yards, ran for 15 yards and scored a touchdown on four carries in four drives. The Patriots scored on each of his first two series (one touchdown, one field goal).
Mayes’ stats would have looked even better if Javon Baker had been able to sink a perfectly thrown long shot on third-and-10 on New England’s first possession of the second half.
By comparison, Brissett hasn’t looked great in the first two preseason games. In one series against the Panthers, he failed to complete three passes. In three series against the Eagles, he completed 3 of 7 passes for 17 yards and an interception deep in the red zone. His other two drives around turnovers ended in punts after a three-and-out.
A constant source of concern for the Patriots throughout training camp and the preseason has been the offensive line, and that unit was torn apart during a joint practice with the Eagles on Tuesday.
Mayo praised the first team’s performance in Thursday’s game, but noted a “dramatic drop in performance” when the second and third team players took to the field.
It is worth noting that the Eagles did not use any of their designated starters on the defensive line against the Patriots.
If the offensive line is a problem, Mayo will face problems as he will have to consider which quarterback to start. Maye is a much better runner than Brissett, but poor pass defense could also cause him to develop bad habits.
Brissett has been sacked 130 times in 79 career games (48 starts). His sack rate of 7.51 percent ranks him 27th out of 36 active quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career pass attempts.
Maye is the Patriots’ future quarterback after being selected No. 3 in the 2024 NFL Draft. He has outperformed Brissett in two preseason games so far.
Both quarterbacks have one more preseason game to show Mayo and the coaching staff what they can do. The Patriots will face the Washington Commanders on August 25.
