Jacoby Brissett is still the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots.
That’s the message Jerod Mayo put out after his team’s 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday. The Patriots have now lost three straight games, with the offense looking particularly ineffective over that stretch.
At this point, there are plenty of questions about whether the team should hand the keys over to rookie quarterback Drake Maye. But after Sunday’s game, Mayo met those questions with the same response he’s had in the past.
“As this point, Jacoby is our starting quarterback,” Mayo said. “I haven’t watched any film or anything like that. He’s been a great leader. He just broke the huddle down after I talked to the guys and we’ve gotta watch the film. We’ve got a long flight to go back to watch the film and we’re always evaluating every single position.”
Brissett continues to get clobbered behind a patchwork offensive line that got even more threadbare on Sunday. The unit was already on its fourth starting offensive tackle in four games. But then the Patriots lost starting center David Andrews to injury after the first series of the game.
Brissett was hit 10 times and sacked six times in Sunday’s loss. The veteran quarterback wasn’t perfect under pressure. But he doesn’t want to hear anyone using the word “skittish” when talking about Brissett.
“What I will say about Jacoby is that he’s tough, both mentally and physically. I mean this guy’s going out there, he’s taking some huge shots and continues to get back up. Sometimes you’re like, ‘Man, is he OK?’ watching him for a while. But he is a tough guy. I would never use the word ‘skittish’ with a guy like that.”
Now at 1-3, the Patriots will head back to the East Coast as they prepare for a home matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
