Patriots reportedly considering major Drake Maye decision next week
By Max Weisman
The New England Patriots reportedly have a huge decision to make this week. After a fifth straight week of subpar quarterback play from Jacoby Brissett, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Monday that New England was considering making the switch to rookie quarterback Drake Maye for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.
Brissett was 18-for-34 with 160 yards, no touchdowns and no picks in the Patriots 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He hasn't completed more than 20 passes or thrown for more than 170 yards in a game this season, and with the Patriots slipping to 1-4, calls for a quarterback change are growing.
Opinion/analysis: Notable shift in Jerod Mayo's answers regarding QB situation in his day-after-game video conference compared to past weeks. Mayo said last week the way the team won its only game was "unsustainable" and he seems to strongly be considering switch to Drake Maye.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 7, 2024
Additionally, on WEEI Monday morning, Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said something very different than what he normally says about the quarterback situation for his team.
“Look, we’re still going through the, you know, the film from yesterday,” Mayo said when asked if he'll start Drake Maye on Sunday. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Normally when Mayo is met with that question, he answers in a variation of "we're sticking with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback." Not this time.
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When asked if Jacoby Brissett gives the Patriots their best chance to win Mayo again deviated from his normal response.
“That’s a conversation - not only at that spot, but all the spots, you know, how we get better as a football team," he said. “We’re not playing well. It’s not a secret. And being the head coach of this team, I have to accept all the responsibility for that.”
The switch up by Mayo comes at a curious time. If he was thinking about potentially starting Maye, why not give him a shot against a bad Dolphins team, rather than waiting a week and playing him against a good Texans team?
Whatever the decision by Mayo, he'll need to be sure of it. The Patriots now have sole possession of last place in the AFC East, and finishing in that spot for the second straight year would be the first of such streaks for the Patriots since the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
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