Patriots HC clarifies New England starting QB situation after Drake Maye debut

Despite rookie quarterback Drake Maye logging snaps late in New England's Thursday Night Football blowout loss to the New York Jets, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Jacoby Brissett is still the starter. New England is off to a 1-2 start to the season, and Brissett has thrown for 368 yards with one touchdown in the year. 

"Right now, I'd say it's still status quo. I said it earlier -- Jacoby is still our starting quarterback and we have to be ready to support him, 11 guys out there on offense. It's everyone," Mayo said Friday via ESPN. 

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Maye is a highly touted passer out of North Carolina. Maye threw for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns in 30 games with the Tar Heels. In the lone drive of his NFL debut, Maye threw for 22 yards on rushed for 12 yards. 

"Coming off the bench at that time is always tough, no matter what position, but especially the quarterback position and I thought he handled himself well and tried to put a drive together," Mayo said of Maye. "It's something to build off."

Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt believes Maye benefits from being on the bench. 

"I still think it's by watching. I think there's a lot to be learned yet, and that's where I'll stand on that," Van Pelt said. "Jacoby is our starter, like Coach said, until that changes, I think we got to do everything we can to get the starter ready to win a game on [Sept. 29 in San Francisco]."

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