FOXBOROUGH – After a week that saw the offense embarrassed during a joint practice session with the Eagles, and Matthew Judon, the team’s best and most accomplished defensive player shipped out to Atlanta in a trade, the Patriots were in dire need of a pick-me-up.
The fans, especially, desperately needed a spark, some glimmer of hope that the outlook for the Patriots wasn’t as grim as it appeared.
During Thursday night’s 14-13 loss to the Eagles, they got it. After Drake Maye entered the game, there was light.
It came in the form of a six-yard scramble. A 12-yard bullet pass to Javon Baker over the middle. A four-yard touchdown run off a fake. Even a well-thrown bomb downfield that Baker couldn’t quite come up with provided the desired result.
Those handful of plays executed by the rookie quarterback was just the tonic everyone needed. He was a much-needed sign of life, and a sign of better things to come.
The team’s third overall pick, who made what amounted to a cameo against the Carolina Panthers a week ago, was on the field for a lot more action against the Eagles. He played in four series, taking 25 snaps.
Maye, more than anyone, represents the team’s future, and for one night, the future gave a glimpse of how bright it could be.
“I thought he went out there and did a lot of good things,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said of Maye following the game. “Hopefully, he can build on that, and we’ll see how this week goes.”
Of course, with acknowledged starter Jacoby Brissett not performing well during the first quarter, and Maye dazzling at times during the two quarters he worked, there will be a push to get the rookie into the driver’s seat for Week 1.
While some might already be igniting a quarterback controversy, Maye’s still not at that point. But he’s on his way. That’s why it was interesting to hear Mayo leave the door open when asked if a porous offensive line might stand in the way of Maye stepping over the veteran Brissett.
Mayo tossed aside the notion, saying the state of the offensive line wouldn’t be a factor if Maye ultimately outperforms Brissett in the coming weeks ahead of the Sept. 8 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“If Drake beats out Jacoby, he earned that role,” Mayo said. “And we don’t really take (the offensive line) into consideration when he’s ready ready to go … if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”
That’s still a ways off, but the fact Mayo continues to entertain the possibility is notable. Of late, it sure seemed like Brissett would be the starter no matter what. It seemed like that was the plan, and it will likely play out that way.
Against the Eagles, Brissett produced a miserable quarter (3-for-7, 17 yards, one INT), throwing an horrendous pick in the end zone, trying to force the ball into Austin Hooper, who was covered. But, to this point, he’s been the best QB in the group.
He’s done well during practices. He just hasn’t shown much in the short stints he’s played in the two games.
Maye’s performance Thursday night put Brissett on notice. Everyone inside Gillette Stadium could hear the footsteps. If Brissett continues to falter, Maye might charge past him, with, or without, an offensive line that can protect.
“(There’s a) lot of room for growth obviously. Operations getting cleaner and you don’t want those errors, the picks for instance to happen,” Brissett said, “but it gives you a chance to look at it and be like, ‘hey, this is what I was thinking here.’ It opens the room for communication because even when Hoop [Austin Hooper] came back to the sideline, me and him were talking, we just haven’t been in that situation before. So it’s going to be good to learn from a lot of this stuff.”
Maye, who completed 6-of-11 passes for 47 yards, and effectively scrambled for 15 yards on 4 carries, did fumble a snap, but he seemed much more at ease running the offense than he had been.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt appeared to throw in more plays that Maye was comfortable with, be it playing in the shotgun, using empty sets, zone reads, etc. Maye said Van Pelt has been open to suggestions from all of the quarterbacks, utilizing plays in certain situations that they like.
“The great thing about this offense, you can do a lot of different things,” Maye said. “We go through a list of plays we like before going out there … he does a great job of understanding our feedback from all four of us, and calling what we like. So that’s awesome.”
Between a couple of well-thrown balls, and well-executed runs, Maye was finally able to show why he was a highly-coveted prospect. And it was just enough to pique everyone’s curiosity moving forward.
The outing brightened the Patriots outlook. Even if it was a just momentary spark, it was exactly what the doctor ordered.
