The New England Patriots got blown out by the New York Jets on “Thursday Night Football,” dropping their record on the season to 1-2.
While it was a disappointing outing for a team that looked like it may do better than anticipated, the blowout did give the Patriots an opportunity to play their promising rookie quarterback.
Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, made his NFL debut in the fourth quarter, and afterward revealed his emotions in the moment.
“Felt a little nervous running out there,” Maye said, via Dov Kleiman.
Drake Maye on his first NFL action:
“Felt a little nervous running out there.”
He was happy to get his first hit out of the way 😅 pic.twitter.com/VTjQVKItJs
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 20, 2024
In his limited playing time, Maye completed four of eight passes for 22 yards and was sacked twice, but he didn’t throw any interceptions or have any fumbles. He added 12 yards on two rushing attempts.
In 2022, Maye posted 4,321 passing yards and 38 passing touchdowns for North Carolina, and last season, he threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding nine touchdowns on the ground.
Jacoby Brissett was named the Patriots starting quarterback by new head coach Jerod Mayo, but he hasn’t played well this year, and the team has one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
It makes one wonder if Mayo will promote Maye to the QB1 spot sometime this season.
New England will, in all likelihood, miss the playoffs, so an argument could be made that Maye should be starting in order for them to start building for the future in earnest.
At the very least, it would be beneficial for him to get a decent number of snaps during any more big losses they may suffer.
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