Patriots' Drake Maye Gives Update on Status for Bills Game
The New England Patriots have a lot to play for against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but certainly not in terms of a playoff spot.
The Patriots are playing for draft positioning, and while the players are obviously not going to be tanking, the organization may want to be somewhat careful with how it approaches the season finale.
Why? Because New England currently owns the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and the Pats would surely hate to lose out on that opportunity.
As a result, there has been speculation that the Patriots could potentially sit quarterback Drake Maye this weekend, but as far as Maye is concerned, he is suiting up.
"I'm preparing like I'm the starter," Maye said, via Mark Daniels of Mass Live.
Sitting Maye may actually have a couple of benefits.
Not only would it help preserve New England's standing with the top draft pick, but it would also prevent Maye from getting injured.
The rookie signal-caller has already endured a couple of head injuries this season, so it actually may be best for the Pats to keep him sidelined.
Maye took over as the Patriots' starting quarterback midway through October. In 12 games and 11 starts, he has thrown for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 88.3.
In addition, the University of North Carolina product has rushed for 421 yards and a couple of scores while averaging 7.8 yards per carry.
The 22-year-old has certainly injected life into New England's offense, but it's also clear that the Pats still have a very long way to go before they can genuinely field a competitive unit.
We'll see what the Patriots decide to do with Maye this Sunday.