Eight Patriots Thoughts After Their Loss to the Eagles: Maye Resets QB Competition
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Some quick thoughts following Thursday night’s second preseason game for the Patriots as they lost 14-13 to Philadelphia at Gillette Stadium:
1) Tough night for Brissett: For a player who has received the full confidence from Jerod Mayo so far this preseason in terms of being named the starter, Jacoby Brissett lost a significant amount of momentum in this second preseason game.
The veteran finished just 3-of-7 for 17 yards, and he threw an ill-advised interception in the end zone on the offense’s second possession that feels like might have changed the tenor of things at quarterback.
That play was brutal, because the club had driven down the field and had been clicking up to that point.
Brissett actually started the night off relatively well. Despite going three-and-out on the opening drive, he put together a solid possession on his next time out on the field. After the offense ended up with great field position at Philadelphia’s 39-yard line, Brissett hit his next two throws, including a 7-yard strike to Jalen Reagor to put New England at the eight-yard line.
But then, for some reason, Brissett made a horrible decision on the next play, forcing a throw to tight end Austin Hooper, who was matched up against Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox. Maddox was step-for-step with him on the play as Hooper battled with him but couldn’t gain any leverage on the play. As the ball arrived, Maddox stepped in front and picked off the pass in the end zone.
“It was just forcing the play. We had other guys open on that play. It was a poor play,” said Mayo on Friday. “It was a terrible play. We can’t have those, especially when you have guaranteed points on the board. It turns from a, ‘All right, we got a field goal already pretty much secure,’ to now really being a seven-point play by turning the ball over. So just a poor play overall. And I think if you asked Jacoby, he would say the same thing.”
Brissett then came back out on the next drive and couldn’t get any redemption, going 0-for-2, with the offense going three and out.
Unfortunately, that ended his night, and for a player who statistically is among the best when it comes to avoiding turnovers, he unfortunately committed a bad one that may alter his status ahead of the season.
2) Maye ignites QB competition talk: Brissett’s woes opened up an opportunity to get the quarterback debate started, and rookie Drake Maye ended up delivering.
Maye started things off by putting together two consecutive scoring drives, including a well-thrown ball to Javon Baker on a 3rd-and-5 that picked up 12 yards and both extended the drive and also got them out near midfield.
From there, a roughing the passer call on the next play after a 4-yard completion to Mitchell Wilcox got them deep enough into Eagles’ territory where Joey Slye was able to drill a 51-yard kick down the middle to get them on the board.
The rookie then came out and put together a couple of well-executed short throws on his second possession to both Ja’Lynn Polk and JaMycal Hasty, with Hasty’s grab going for 23-yards and got New England down to the Eagles 4 yard line.
From there, Maye ran a nice fake and then took off to the right, taking the ball into the end zone himself and flipping the ball away before celebrating with his teammates.
On the broadcast, the McCourty brothers gave the rookie a hard time for his lack of celebration, which Maye joked about during his postgame press conference.
“I didn’t really plan on a rushing [touchdown celebration]. I probably should have thought of one,” said Maye. “Usually, I think in college, I do the finger roll, but I was just happy to get in the end zone. Happy to score points.”
Maye went 5-of-7 (71.4%) for 47 yards in that first half, but things were a little ugly coming out of halftime. A botched snap put them in long-yardage to start their first possession, which led to a punt, while a sack on his next drive ended up killing that drive.
He ultimately finished those two possessions completing just 1-of-4 for 0 yards.
While that was less than ideal, Maye finished the night 6-of-11 for 47 yards, but more importantly, he seems to have opened things back up at quarterback, with Mayo telling reporters on Friday that it’s definitely a competition.
“I do,” said Mayo when asked if he still sees it as a competition. “We have three more days of training camp practices, and it’s our job as coaches to evaluate, and the competition isn’t over. They’re still going to go out there, and they have to show not only themselves and the coaches, but also their teammates. So it’s definitely still a competition.”
3) Center situation is a mess: The situation at center behind David Andrews remains a mess, and Thursday night certainly made that even more apparent.
The botched snaps were definitely a problem. Maye lost the handle on one to start off their first possession of the third quarter, with he and Nick Leverett clearly not on the same page.
The same happened to Joe Milton, who lost one from Liam Fornadel, which put them back in long-yardage one play after Milton had hit a 12-yard pass to David Wallis.
Bailey Zappe lost what ended up being the game clinching turnover for the Eagles, with Fornadel again as the culprit after skidding that one low and past Zappe, which Philadelphia ended up recovering. That one was unfortunate because Zappe appeared poised to potentially put them in field goal range given how well things had been going to that point.
Mayo acknowledged their issues at center but also said that those guys still need to work things out given that things happen, and they need to be ready if something happens to Andrews.
“Yeah. So we had three quarterback center exchanges. You can sit here and say whose fault it is, but it’s both of theirs,” said Mayo on Friday. “It’s a problem between the quarterback and the center. And we definitely have to get better at that. I mean, that’s part of the preseason is to make sure that we’re good on our quarterback center exchange. And you have to get used to taking snaps from other people outside of David Andrews, and we just got to do a better job and rep that more. But that was one of the more disappointing things, to know how many times the ball was on the ground.”
4) White and McMillan Make Noise: With the departure of Matthew Judon, the Patriots at least showed signs that they have guys who can still help them get after the quarterback.
Both Keion White and Raekwon McMillan played well Thursday night, with White barreling in for a sack coming in off the edge on one play, while McMillan seemed like he was everywhere in New England’s defense and brought pressure of his own.
Those two players had a solid outing, with McMillan finishing the night with the team lead in tackles with eight. Oshane Ximines and Deatrich Wise Jr. also added sacks of their own, but the defense looked fairly stout against an Eagles offense that was largely held in check for most of the night.
Mayo called McMillan a “tone setter” on Friday and he was pleased with what he saw from him Thursday night.
“Yeah, I would just say tone setter,” said Mayo. “He went out there on special teams and defense and made a bunch of plays. He was coming down the hill. We talk about block destruction. He was flying around, and I love to see it. I know what he’s been through the last couple of years, and it was good to see him out there playing good ball.”
5) Baker battled, but finished with just one reception: Rookie Javon Baker was busy on Thursday night, although the stat sheet certainly doesn’t reflect it.
He finished the night with just one catch for 12 yards on four targets, all of which came from Maye. However, it was a play he didn’t make that had people talking.
That play came on what was arguably one of Maye’s best throws of the night, with Maye airing one out downfield early in the third quarter on a 3rd-and-10 from their own 37.
On the play, Baker had gotten behind Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo, with Maye lofting up a perfectly thrown deep ball that Baker laid out for and had it in his hands, but he lost it as he hit the ground.
Had he come up with it, the Patriots would have had the football at Philadelphia’s 16 yard line and would have been in business, but he just couldn’t quite hold on.
It was a tough night for Baker, who also got muscled out on an earlier sideline throw and just couldn’t quite string any plays together.
Still, it’s clear that the potential is there for the two to have a good connection if they can eventually get on the same page, and it’s absolutely something to build off of heading into the finale next week.
6) Baringer was outstanding Thursday night: While it might sound funny to say, it’s hard not to highlight the job punter Bryce Baringer did Thursday night.
Baringer was absolutely terrific in this one, booming six punts for 303 yards with a 45 net average, including a touchback and a ball that he nailed 64 yards and dropped it just inside the right sideline at the one-yard line and out of bounds.
That sequence was key because it obviously started Philadelphia’s drive at the one-yard line and after the defense held, ended up playing a role with the Patriots starting off the ensuing drive in Eagles territory.
He’s been solid this preseason and it’s the little things like that which might not show up on the stat sheet, but he’s definitely a big asset to this football team.
Again, it’s not ideal to have your punter as a player to highlight, but it doesn’t change the fact that his selection in the sixth round of the 2023 Patriots draft last April has certainly paid dividends so far.
7) Gutsy Performance By Zappe: By the end of Thursday night, Bailey Zappe had become Mr. Irrelevant after Joe Milton replaced Drake Maye late in the contest, which had some wondering if Zappe would see any time at all.
But Zappe came into the game on the club’s final drive and appeared to be on a mission, with Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal joking that, “Zappe the closer enters with 2:23 left” as he took the field.
And by all accounts, Zappe looked like he might lead them to points and the win. He hit his first three passes, including a really nice throw to Kayshon Boutte on his third attempt that went for 13 yards and got them out near midfield.
However, on the next play, Zappe faced pressure and despite doing a good job stepping up and away from the defenders, his pass sailed on him and over the head of Boutte near the sideline for an incompletion.
That play was then followed by the botched snap by Fornadel, which the Eagles recovered.
The turnover had David Andrews dumbfounded on the sideline, and it was obviously disappointing. It’s tough to say what, if any, time Zappe might see next week, and that play cost him a shot at putting Slye in position to hit the game-winner, which also would have been another fun scenario for what’s been an interesting kicking competition to this point.
8) Nice night for Slye: One sidebar that played out on Thursday night was the fact that Joey Slye again saw the opportunities in the kicker competition, with Slye seeing two field goal attempts against the Eagles.
He hit them both, drilling a 51-yard field goal right down the middle, along with a 45-yard boot that he hooked just inside the right upright.
Both he and Chad Ryland have battled it out all preseason, with neither player really establishing themselves as the key favorite. Mayo said on Friday that they plan on putting some additional pressure on those guys over this final week to hopefully come to a decision.
“Yeah, I mean, that one, it was a good kick last night,” said Mayo, referring to Slye’s 51-yarder. “It’s still up in the air. Still up in the air. Like I said, it’s our job to evaluate not only the coaches, but also the scouts. And we’re going to try to put pressure on those guys this week and see who kind of comes out on top.”
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