New England Patriots and NFL fans got their first look at quarterback Drake Maye on Thursday night. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft officially made his debut, relieving starter Jacoby Brissett.
With the Patriots trailing 24-3 in the fourth quarter to the Jets, head coach Jerod Mayo turned to the rookie quarterback to finish out the game for the final series.
Maye only played that last series, finishing 4 of 8 for 22 yards on the game, including 12 yards rushing. With Brissett and the Patriots offense struggling throughout the game, Mayo decided to give Maye some reps in a regular season game for the first time in his career.
The quarterback picked up a few first downs including one using his feet to scramble and get enough yards to keep the drive alive.
The Patriots opted to go with Brissett as the starter this season with the veteran beating Maye out in the competition. However, Mayo admitted at one time that Maye had the better showing in the preseason as they envision him as their quarterback of the future.
Drake Maye is now in at quarterback.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 20, 2024
The issue for the Patriots has been their offensive line, as they allowed seve sacks in Week 3, including two on Maye. They have been arguably one of the worst offensive lines in all of football and it could be a risk to put Maye out there behind that line.
We will have to see if Mayo eventually goes to Maye at some point this season.
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