By R.L. Bynum
Drake Maye made his NFL debut late in New England’s 24–3 road loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night. Will he get more chances to show his talent, and if he does, can he endure playing behind the bad Patriots offensive line?
Maye entered the game with 4:24 left and was solid once he got comfortable after former Duke defensive back Michael Carter II nearly intercepted his first NFL pass on his first NFL play (below).
Maye finished 4 of 8 for 22 yards, including a 15-yard completion to starting wide receiver DeMario Douglas. He quickly found out what starter Jacoby Brissett already knew — the pocket collapses fast because of the Patriots’ offensive line. After the Jets sacked the former N.C. State player five times for 46 yards in losses, they sacked Maye twice for 13 yards.
“No regrets; go out there and have some fun,” Maye said, according to nesn.com. “First ball I get to throw gets thrown in the air; I’m glad it hits the ground. So, just go out there, make some plays and just let loose. … I know [Brissett’s] pulling from me. He’s a great teammate.”
Maye, who said the first hit felt good, was also a good teammate to his offensive line, which he didn’t blame for the sacks.
“Can’t take stupid sacks,” he said, according to Yahoo! “We’re trying to get the ball out, and you can’t take sacks in that situation. At the same time, we got some first downs and moved the chains, made some plays with my feet and hit [Douglas] over the middle. So, we got some good things to look at, at the same time.”
Brissett completed 12 of 18 passes for 98 yards.
Maye ran twice for 13 yards, including an 11-yard gain on a run around left end after a scramble to convert a fourth-and-eight at the Jets 33.
“I thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there with the ones and put a few drives together, move the ball,” said Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, whose team is 1–2. “We’ll watch the film and evaluate.”
Maye directed the Patriots on a 14-play drive that went from the New England 42 and penetrated to the New York 7 — including two fourth-down conversions — before time expired, leaving the score unchanged.
“Just wanted to go out there, try to make some plays and have some fun,” Maye said. “Felt a little nervous running out there. What a night with the crowd and the atmosphere to get my first game under my belt.”
After the game, he enjoyed a few minutes with fourth-year Jet and fellow former Tar Heel Chazz Surratt, who started at middle linebacker, recording a tackle and an assist. Surratt played six defensive snaps and 14 special-teams snaps.
Maye waited until Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a postgame interview with Prime Video to shake the veteran’s hand.
Would Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo consider a change at quarterback?
“I don’t know,” Mayo said. “We talk about it every single week; you’re competing for a job. We’ll get together as a coaching staff and see where it goes.”
Here is a rundown of Maye’s drive (all plays out of the shotgun):
— 1st and 10 at NE 42, 4:24 left: Incomplete pass to short left intended for backup tight end Austin Hooper, nearly intercepted by Michael Carter II
— 2nd and 10 at NE 42: Handoff to backup running back Antonio Gibson for 7 yards
— 3rd and 3 at NE 49: Scramble for one yard over left tackle; a pile of Jets drive him into the ground
— 4th and 2 at 50: Handoff to Gibson up the middle for 5 yards.
— 1st and 10 at NY 45: Completion on screen pass to Gibson, no gain
— 2nd and 10 at NY 45: Handoff to Gibson, 8 yards over right tackle
— 3rd and 2 at NY 37: Completion to backup right wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for 2 yards
— 1st and 10 at NY 35 (after two-minute warning): Sacked by starting left defensive end Will McDonald and third-string right defensive tackle Leonard Taylor for an eight-yard loss
— 2nd and 18 at NY 43: Handoff to third-string running back JaMycal Hasty up the middle for 5 yards
— 3rd and 13 at NY 38: Completion on screen pass to starting wide receiver DeMario Douglas for 5 yards
— 4th and 8 at NY 33: Scrambles around left end for 11 yards
— 1st and 10 at NY 22: Incomplete pass, short, intended for Hooper
— 2nd and 10 at NY22: Incomplete pass after getting hit, throw intended for Boutte
— 3rd and 10 at NY 22: Incomplete pass on a short throw to the right, intended for Douglas on a throw he should have caught
— 4th and 10 at NY 22: Completion on short pass to Douglas for 15 yards
— 1st and goal at NY 7: Sacked for a 12-yard loss, losing his helmet on last play of game
Drake Maye, New England Patriots quarterback
Age 22 | 6–4, 225 | rookie NFL season | UNC 2021–23
Roster situation — Second-string QB behind Jacoby Brissett
24–3 Thursday loss at New York Jets (NFL debut) — 4 for 8, 22 yards (15 longest), 2 sacks for 13 yards; 2 carries, 12 yards (11 longest); 16 offensive snaps (31%)
Week 4 — 4:05 Sunday, Sept. 29, at San Francisco, Fox
Chazz Surratt, New York Jets linebacker
Age 27 | 6–2, 233 | fourth NFL season | UNC 2017–20
Roster situation — Third-string middle linebacker
Season statistics — 3 games, 1 tackle, 1 assist, 2 special-teams tackles, 1 special-teams assist
24–3 Thursday win vs. New England — Started; 1 tackle, 1 assist; 6 defensive snaps (12%), 14 special-teams snaps (67%)
Week 4 — 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, vs. Denver, CBS
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