Patience lasted only five weeks for Jerod Mayo, after a 1-4 start, including four consecutive losses, the New England Patriots will begin the era of Drake Maye, a rookie quarterback chosen with the third overall pick in the Draft.
According to Ian Rapoport, Maye is expected to be the starter next Sunday when they face the Houston Texans (4-1), one of the best teams in the AFC, only behind the two-time champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Although Jerod Mayo has been adamant for several weeks about reaffirming Jacoby Brissett as the team’s starter, on Monday he hinted at the possibility of a change of direction for the New England team.
“We have to look at each unit and each player and figure out how we use this roster to go out and win games,” were the head coach’s words after the 15-10 loss they suffered in Foxborough against the Miami Dolphins.
Brissett had 696 yards, two touchdown passes and just one interception , but also had a 58.5 percent passing percentage during his starts.
The challenge doesn’t look daunting for Drake Maye. The offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL this season, with a sack rate of 11.7%, which is 30th in that department. In addition, the Texans’ defense allows 274.2 yards per game, the fourth-best defense.
“This is a bad decision by New England. First, they have the worst offensive line protecting the quarterback in the entire NFL. Jacoby Brissett was pressured on 47% of the snaps, which is the most since 2006.
Now you want to bring in a rookie to make him suffer, put this offensive line on him. It’s not the right decision,” said Dab Orlovsky, former quarterback and ESPN analyst.
