The Patriots got rookie quarterback Drake Maye some work at the end of Thursday’s 24-3 loss to the Jets. But that does not mean the No. 3 overall pick of this year’s draft is about to ascend to QB1.
“Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he’s not the quarterback,” head coach Jerod Mayo said in his Friday news conference. “I thought last night, he showed a lot of toughness, a lot of grit. On protection breakdowns, tried to do what we asked him to do. But I would say, just as a team, as a coaching staff, we’ve just got to be better.”
Thursday was a rough night for the Patriots as a whole, but particularly on offense. The unit finished with just 139 total yards and 11 first downs, averaging just 2.9 yards per play. Brissett was pummeled, with the Jets accumulating 15 total quarterback hits. While Mayo was critical of the team’s pass protection performance, he said the issues were correctable.
Brissett finished 12-of-18 passing for 98 yards.
Maye was 4-of-8 for 22 yards in his limited playing time, with Mayo touting his athleticism.
“He can make all the throws,” Mayo said of Maye. “I thought coming off the bench at that time is always tough, no matter what position, but especially at the quarterback position. I thought he did handle himself well and tried to put a drive together. Something to build off of. I thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there and get some live reps.”
While the Patriots have been splitting some of the practice reps between Brissett and Maye, Mayo isn’t planning to increase the rookie’s time with the first-team offense.
“Right now, I’d say it’s still status quo,” Mayo said. “Kind of said it earlier, Jacoby’s still our starting quarterback. We’ve just got to be ready to support him. There are 11 guys out there on offense, so it’s everyone. So, to answer your question, that’s really not under consideration at this time.”
After a long weekend, the Patriots will host the 49ers in Week 4.
“[A]ll our focus right now is to get to 2-2,” Mayo said. “I’d say we have the bonus Monday and get ready for San Fran. Everything is always under evaluation. But just so I’m clear, Jacoby is still our starting quarterback until I say he’s not.”
