Patriots
“If Drake beats Jacoby, he’ll have earned the role.”
Drake Maye was sacked only once in his four series against the Eagles. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
FOXBOROUGH – After Drake Maye played just six snaps against the Panthers in New England’s season opener last week, Jerod Mayo acknowledged that the Patriots’ leaky offensive line may have played a role in those few plays.
“That’s always a consideration,” Mayo said when asked if New England’s offensive line configuration played a role in Maye’s light workload. “When he’s in, you want him in the starting offensive line. We have to protect that guy. I’m not saying we don’t have to protect the other guys, but that was definitely a factor.”
Given Maye’s importance to the team’s long-term prospects, New England’s limitations in pass defense, and the vanishingly slim chances that the Patriots will be a playoff-ready team in 2024, there are good reasons for Mayo and his staff to keep Maye on the sidelines for now.
New England’s offensive line woes continued this week against the Eagles, particularly during a joint practice on Tuesday where Maye’s final two-minute drill was nullified by the pressure exerted by Philly.
On Thursday night, Vederian Lowe, currently the best left tackle in New England’s lineup, was hit in the third quarter, which led to Nolan Smith throwing Maye to the turf.
It was a stark reminder of the punishment that could await Maye and the rest of New England’s quarterbacks this fall, as the offensive line is still severely lacking in talent.
But after leading New England to the most scoring drives in two of its four series on Thursday night, Maye made one thing very clear: If Maye beats Jacoby Brissett in the battle for the starting quarterback job this preseason, the O-line will no longer be an obstacle that could keep him from a starting position in 2024.
“We always talk about competition, and that goes for all positions,” Mayo said. “Even if Drake beats Jacoby, he’s earned that role. And we don’t really take that into account, when he’s ready, and if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
Maye made the most of his first extended series of games with New England on Thursday, completing six of his 11 throws for 47 yards and scoring a touchdown in the second quarter.
Despite New England’s difficulties in pass defense, Mayes’ ability to get out of the pocket and make quick throws limited the frequency with which the Eagles were able to execute drive-killing plays against the Patriots’ rebuilding offense.
Add to that the lackluster night of presumed Week 1 starter Brissett (3 of 7, 17 yards, 1 INT), and it’s safe to assume that Maye has narrowed the gap a bit between himself and his experienced teammate, as there’s still a preseason game to go.
“He was very composed,” Mayo said of Maye. “I thought it was a good drive. I thought he went out and did a lot of good things. Hopefully he can build on that and we’ll see how this week goes.”
While Maye’s own development and performance in real-life game situations could be the deciding factor in whether he starts in 2024, Mayo and his staff could breathe a sigh of relief if New England’s offensive line actually improves in some areas in the future.
“There’s definitely been some ups and downs,” Mayo said of New England’s offensive line. “I would say there’s a dramatic drop-off in performance, not really physically, but just in terms of knowledge between the first line and the second and third guys.”
“They have to get better as a whole, as a unit. They just have to get better, and that comes from playing football games. We have another preseason game soon. We’re going to play. Football is the only way to get better at football.”
Boston.com today
Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox every morning.
