Heading into the final preseason game with the Washington Commanders, all signs pointed to veteran Jacoby Brissett being the Week 1 starter against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo left the door open a crack for rookie Drake Maye to win the job, still calling it a “competition,” but listening to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt on Thursday, the plan is, and always has been having Brissett at the helm to start the season.
That said, did Maye at least make it interesting, and give the staff reason to rethink the plan during the 20-10 loss to the Commanders?
He did. Whether he did enough to overtake Brissett is up for debate. Given the horrendous play of the offensive line, that’s also going to weigh heavily into the decision.
Brissett started the game, and played in just one series. He injured his right throwing shoulder getting sacked. The Patriots did register a couple first downs with Brissett under center but that was it before they punted and the baton was passed.
Maye came on during the second offensive series, and immediately injected life into the unit. Bad snaps, a lost shoe, no matter, he put together an impressive 11-play, 88-yard scoring drive immediately after taking over for Brissett.
As mentioned, poor offensive line play – by the starters minus David Andrews – didn’t help Brissett or Maye. There were too many illegal formation penalties, with Chuks Okorafor and Michael Onwenu both getting flagged for lining up too far behind the line.
Rookie guard Layden Robinson also had a tough go of it, whiffing on blocks, and also committing a holding penalty. Center Nick Leverett, meanwhile, had trouble with the exchange when Maye was under center (two fumbled snaps). In all, there were seven flags (4 illegal formations, 2 holding, 1 false start) on the offensive line in the first half alone.
Given the problem that front continues to be, it’s tough to put any quarterback behind that line.
It should also be noted that the Commanders did not play their starters. So that put it even more into perspective.
That said, how did Brissett and Maye ultimately fare? Here’s a look.
Brissett: He sailed his first pass high to Antonio Gibson. On a 3rd-and-five, he picked up the blitz and got the ball off just in time to Gibson for a 13-yard gain.
He was taken down by K.J. Henry on a 1st-and-10 from the Commanders 47. That’s the play he injured his shoulder. The next play, he connected with tight end Jaheim Bell for a 6-yard gain. Facing a 3rd-and-11, Brissett heaved the ball downfield, but didn’t connect with K.J. Osborn down the left sideline. It was well-thrown, and Osborn got a hand on it, he just couldn’t pull it in.
During the one series, Brissett went 2-for-4 for 19 yards with the one sack. He looked better than he had during his appearances in the first two games. The shoulder injury dampens that. It remains to be seen how serious it might be.
Maye: He took over 1st-and-10 from the 12-yard line on his first series.
With the deck stacked against him – as it was Brissett – with a porous line, and a backup center whose first shotgun snap to Maye was a ground ball, the rookie remained poised.
Then it was 2nd-and-18 from the 4-yard-line.
What happened from there, was eye-opening – in a good way.
On a 3rd-and-14, Maye thought better of the pass he had in mind, tucked the ball in and took off for 17 yards. He didn’t slide, which wasn’t the wisest choice, but that scamper got the offense out of the hole.
He later converted a 3rd-and-8 from the Commanders 35 by hitting Pop Douglas on a crossing route. He had hit Ja’Lynn Polk earlier on the same route for a 29-yard gain. Both of those were big-league throws from the strong-armed rookie.
A few plays later, he hit Kevin Harris in the flat and the back scampered 18 yards for the score.
Maye wound up playing the rest of the first half. There were too many penalties and miscues for him to do much else. He also missed a few connections along the ride. But the overall picture for the rookie third overall pick remained positive.
He had a two-minute drill just before the half. On a second-down play from the 48-yard line with 36 seconds to go, it looked like Maye had thrown a touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn – he ran to his left to avoid the rush then launched a pass down the left side, hitting a wide open Osborn, who walked into the end zone.
Only it was called back: illegal formation, Okorafor.
Maye finished 13-for-20 for 125 yards with a touchdown. At the very least, Maye looks like he’s going to be a player. He looks like the real deal, for whenever he gets in there.
Milton/Zappe: The only question with these two is who stays as the third quarterback, and who goes. Or, do both of them stay?
Joe Milton III came in during the third quarter. He had a few highlights, one being a 20-yard scamper. The other was a 34-yard-pass to Matt Landers, as he somehow managed to flick the ball over to his receiver while getting hit.
Passing-wise, though, it wasn’t a good night for the rookie 6th-round pick. He completed just 5-of-17 passes for 78 yards. He was off-target a bunch.
As for Bailey Zappe, with Brissett suffering an injury, his status will be interesting going forward. He seemed like the odd man odd, but will he get released before cutdown day Tuesday?
He came on for one series at the end of the fourth quarter. He had one pass attempt, and didn’t make it.
