Drake Maye's Debut Gives Patriots Answer on Starter

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye's NFL debut showed why the team needs to wait to play him.

Sep 19, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) runs with the ball against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

During the New England Patriots' brutal 24-3 beatdown at the hands of the New York Jets, rookie quarterback Drake Maye took to the NFL field for the first time.

He played the final drive of the game for the Patriots. While fans have been waiting to see him play, they can't be happy with what they saw.

No, the unhappiness doesn't come from Maye's personal performance. The issues come with the supporting cast he has around him.

In just one drive, Maye was sacked two times. He was on the run on most plays and faced massive amounts of pressure. The debut showed clearly that New England should continue waiting before handing over the keys to the franchise.

When everything was said and done, Maye ended up completing four of his eight passes for 22 yards. He also picked up 12 yards on two carries.

There were some things to be excited about with Maye. He clearly would provide a much more dangerous passing game for the Patriots. However, there is no reason to risk him at this point.

Until New England is capable of protecting the quarterback at a decent level, Maye should stay on the sidelines. Risking a serious injury just to get him playing time would be a massive mistake.

Jerod Mayo has a lot of work to do. The Week 1 blowout win was a great feelings and competing in Week 2 turned some heads. But, having this kind of a brutal performance exposed all of the issues.

Maye could end up playing at some point later in the season. If the offensive line shows improvement, getting him on the field would be very important for his development. At the same time, the coaching staff should be more than willing to sit him for the entire season if things still look like they did last night.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what Mayo chooses to do at the quarterback position. Now that Maye has made his NFL debut, the Patriots will be pressured to get him more time.

In a perfect world, they would be able to give him that playing time, but they need to play it extremely cautious. Maye is the team's franchise quarterback and they can't afford an injury setback due to issues around him.

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