New England Patriots coaches are going to have a very difficult decision on their hands.
Drake Maye’s late-August surge culminated with an excellent performance against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night. Maye, who replaced an injured Jacoby Brissett after one series, made a ton of plays and continued looking like a completely different quarterback than the one we saw early in training camp.
But will Maye’s performance be enough to propel him ahead of Brissett to win the Patriots’ QB competition?
Initial Thoughts on Drake Maye’s Performance Against Commanders
Maye’s Upside Is Obvious
The rookie completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown while adding three carries for 17 yards. Maye was especially impressive on his first drive when he went 5-of-6 for 71 yards and threw an 18-yard touchdown to Kevin Harris.
Some very impressive plays by Drake Maye on that drive.
– 17-yard scramble on third-and-14
– Cross-body completion to Polk for 29 yards
– 16-yard completion to Douglas on third-and-8 pic.twitter.com/UHSLSAZmvV— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) August 26, 2024
From an upside perspective, we saw it all from Maye.
He made plays with his feet. He delivered downfield darts while throwing off-platform. He fit the ball into tight windows. He showed poise in the pocket — perhaps too much for a meaningless preseason game.
Of course, it must be noted that Maye was playing against the Commanders’ backup defenders. Showing out against the dregs of the NFL is very different than playing winning football in the regular season. Maye also threw a few bad incompletions, including a hospital ball to Ja’Lynn Polk.
Time will tell whether Maye ever will fulfill his potential in the NFL, but there’s no denying the Patriots have a wildly talented quarterback on their hands.
He Once Again Was Undermined by Wretched O-Line
Maye’s performance and stats would’ve looked even better had he been playing behind a capable offensive line.
New England’s O-line was horrible in the first half. The group, which was playing without David Andrews, botched two snaps, committed eight penalties, and allowed numerous pressures. Honestly, Maye deserves extra credit for playing as well as he did behind that offensive line.
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The Patriots have talented offensive linemen, and there’s a real chance the group will turn into a serviceable unit sometime this season. But injuries and far too much tinkering have the Patriots scrambling to find a five-man lineup they can deploy with some level of confidence in Week 1.
The Patriots might hold off on starting Maye until the offensive line settles down, and they’d be justified in doing so.
His Play Style Should Make Coaches Nervous
The Patriots and their fans should dream big after watching plays like this:
This touchdown was negated by (ANOTHER) penalty on Okorafor, but what. a. throw by Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/gPxLgkY0fT
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 26, 2024
However, Maye’s playmaking nature should give coaches pause before they pull the trigger on starting him.
It’s great that Maye is willing and able to play off-script at a high level, but he also needs to be careful. Quarterbacks like him get hurt often in the NFL, especially when they’re playing behind bad offensive lines. Patriots coaches must strike a delicate balance of reeling Maye in and allowing him to play his game.
Maye Likely Won’t Win Patriots QB Competition
Earlier this week, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said he wanted to choose a starting QB by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.
That’s all well and good, but he’s probably bluffing. All signs point toward Brissett starting Week 1 and keeping the job for a while.
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Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein spoke with Patriots coaches and executives this week, including offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf. This excerpt from her story tells you all you need to know about New England’s QB competition:
“Conversations with several coaches and executives point to Brissett starting the season for a Patriots team whose offensive line and skill players pale in comparison to casts like what first overall draft pick Caleb Williams arrived to in Chicago.
“They point to Brissett starting early games against tough defenses like the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets, giving Maye more time to learn after a college career featuring just 26 starts. (Consider that fellow rookie Bo Nix started 61 college games and Jayden Daniels 55 before each got the starting nod this week.)
“The Patriots will continue to evaluate through the season whether Brissett is still the best man for the job, a decision that will be influenced by the team’s surrounding cast, Brissett’s performance and Maye’s development.
“But for now, Van Pelt says Brissett is ‘way more equipped to handle the opening day.'”
That settles that — unless Maye changed minds with his performance on Sunday.