Jerod Mayo Unveils Patriots' QB Plan in Preseason Finale vs. Commanders

The New England Patriots head coach gave us a heads-up on what to expect this Sunday.

Aug 8, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo walks off of the field after a game against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The quarterback topic for the New England Patriots continues to be a focal point of discussion for this roster reeling into the final week of NFL preseason games, especially so as we near closer to the start of the regular season.

The verdict is still out between Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye as the QB1 in New England, which leads the focus to shift toward this week's preseason finale against the Washington Commanders. With an eye-catching performance from either side of the coin, we could finally get an answer to the biggest burning question surrounding the Patriots.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo gave some hints as to what we could expect against the Commanders under center on Sunday, detailing that he sees all four quarterbacks finding some time to play as Brissett starts the game off, effectively including Joe Milton III and Bailey Zappe in the bunch as well:

"We're going to play. Jacoby [Brissett] is going to start the game off. Drake [Maye] will play as well. Joe [Milton II] will play as well. Now, you guys can sleep. Bailey [Zappe] will play. We do have some players dealing with small things that probably won't play and get ready for the regular season – some of our proven players."

- Jerod Mayo during Friday's presser

Brissett lining up as the QB1 to start the game off isn't too much of a surprise considering Mayo's comments that have dubbed him as the starting quarterback across the course of the offseason and training camp. After Brissett though, the rookie will have an opportunity to put on a show similar to what we saw against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The outlook for the quarterbacks in this game could look similar to their approach against Philadelphia, as Brissett started in the first quarter, Maye entered in the second and third, with Milton and Zappe capping the game off in the fourth.

Of course, the staff may change the game plan around slightly from their previous matchup. Still, the rotation likely shouldn't look as it did during their opener against the Carolina Panthers, where Brissett and Maye came into the game for one sole drive before handing the reigns off to Milton and Zappe.

New England being just over two weeks from their opener will likely want to see more of their first-team reps, and that includes seeing more from their QB1 and QB2 in action. However, how that order may shake out for their opener vs. the Cincinnati Bengals remains to be seen.

The Patriots and Commanders will kick things off late on Sunday at 7 PM, giving fans one last complete look at this four-man quarterback room before roster cuts loom in the days following.

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