The New England Patriots, going into Week 3, had looked better than most people had anticipated; with the typical high-end defense and a powerful running game, the team looked to be competitive in most of their contests on the year. As the New York Jets rolled to town, the wheels fell off on offense and veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett looked downright bad behind a patchwork offensive line with limited receiver help.
Drake Maye wasn't expecting the snap but he connects with Pop Douglas to convert 4th and long anyway pic.twitter.com/9qoLm5c6EG
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) September 20, 2024
As the night dwindled on and it was obvious the game was out of hand, Jerod Mayo made the executive decision to put first-round quarterback Drake Maye in for his first snaps of the regular season. Right away it was apparent that Maye was going to deal with the same issues that Brissett did and even with his physical skillset he would not be able to escape the kind of pressure the Jets defense was putting forward. Maye ultimately ended the night by completing 4/8 passes for 22 yards and adding another 12 yards on the ground.
Whether or not this decision at the end of a blowout loss holds any significance for who will be the week 4 starter remains to be seen, it’s more likely than not that Brissett will once again be under center for the Patriots next weekend. It’s clear that New England wants to protect their first-round investment in Maye, and it would be hard to expect him to develop and have success, given the offensive talent surrounding this offense.