FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots were dealt a devastating blow when Drake Maye suffered a concussion in the first quarter of Sunday’s win.
At the time, the rookie quarterback was a handful and the Jets defense struggled to contain him. After he left the game, at the beginning of the second quarter, Maye had 23 passing yards and a team-leading 46 rushing yards to go with a rushing touchdown.
Once Jacoby Brissett came on the field, the mood inside Gillette Stadium changed as boos rained down. Despite dealing with a head injury, Maye’s competitiveness never wavered.
At halftime, the rookie quarterback told coach Jerod Mayo he wanted to return.
“I walked in at halftime and saw him. The competitor that he is, obviously he wanted to go back out there and play,” Mayo said. “But there’s a protocol that he has to go through. Again, can’t wait to get him back.”
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Mayo’s referring to the NFL concussion protocol where a player has to go through different steps before he’s allowed to return to a game. After being diagnosed with a concussion there was no way Maye would’ve been allowed to return to Sunday’s game.
Maye suffered the concussion at 1:09 of the first quarter when he was hit in the head, by Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood, following an 18-yard run. The quarterback stayed in the game playing four more snaps, including a sack.
When he walked off the field, Maye was evaluated inside a blue medical tent before going to the locker room.
Despite being disappointed, the rookie was happy after the game when Brissett helped lead the Patriots to a fourth-quarter comeback over the Jets.
“It’s obviously a medical situation, so I can’t speak too much on it. He’s his still smiley, jokey self,’ Austin Hooper said of Maye. “Drake will be fine.”
