Heading into the final game of the 2024 regular season, the New England Patriots find themselves in a situation where there’s little to play for, and one goal in mind before this year comes to a close.
Get out of here healthy, and try to make sure Drake Maye doesn’t suffer any setbacks that could affect him in 2025.
Many believe that sitting the rookie should be on the table when the Bills visit Gillette Stadium on Sunday, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to be the case. Jerod Mayo told reporters this week that Maye is expected to be out there, and he’s hoping his team can finish strong to close out the season.
“He wants to play,” said Mayo. “He’s still developing, so he’ll be ready to go.”
While the team doesn’t have anything to play for, Maye’s likely looking for a little redemption. The rookie is coming off of his lowest yardage total of the season, completing just 12-of-22 (54.5%) for 117 yards. It’s actually the first time he hasn’t eclipsed the 200 yard mark since back in week 10 when he threw for 184 yards against the Bears.
Overall, despite an incredible touchdown throw to Demario Douglas, it was a tough outing. Maye likely also feels like there’s some unfinished business since he didn’t exactly finish strong this past Sunday.
Maye completed just 7-of-17 (41.2%) in the second half, with a first half fumble on a toss to Douglas that the Chargers took back the other way for a touchdown.
Turnovers have quietly been an issue for Maye this season, which he knows is a problem. When asked what he feels like he’s improved on this year, the rookie said improving his ball security and working on the little things remains his area of focus.
“I think that’s a tough question,” said Maye. “I think it’s hard to gauge myself. I think I’m just trying to attack each and every day, try to improve little things here and there throughout games, try to still protect the football better. I think that’s something I need to improve on.”
Given New England’s issues up front, it hasn’t exactly been the ideal situation for Maye to thrive in, and it’s somewhat of a miracle that the rookie hasn’t been banged up worse than he’s already been.
After all, last Sunday against the Chargers, the Patriots definitely got a little lucky. Maye suffered a head injury just a handful of plays into the game, knocking him out of action briefly before he returned and finished the contest.
“Just kind of got my bell rung on the first drive,” said Maye after the game. “I don’t know if any of you all ever played or ever got hit, but sometimes you get your bell wrong and got to shake back.”
That play came as Maye tried to power his way to a first down, with the rookie trying to overcome yet another play where he was forced out and had no one downfield to throw to.
Instead, he took a shot near the sideline that left him dazed and forced him to head into the locker room for further evaluation. He later dodged a massive bullet when he was taken down with a hip-drop style tackle, which had his cleats not come off the turf could have ended in disaster.
Could Joe Milton See Some Action?
Those moments have many people wondering if letting fellow rookie Joe Milton see some action might make sense. Milton has spent much of the season as the club’s emergency quarterback, and Sunday’s finale feels like an opportunity for the Patriots to find out a little more about what they have in their quarterback room heading into the offseason.
Oddly enough, getting a look at Milton would be wise on their part. As it currently stands, the odds of Jacoby Brissett being here in 2026 feels unlikely, with someone different presumably entering the mix this offseason. Whether or not Milton has what it takes to step into the backup role would then be the next question, with the former Tennessee quarterback potentially seeing competition from whatever veteran the team decides to bring in this spring to compete for the job.
The other question is whether or not Milton has developed to the point where he should here at all, and we haven’t really seen anything from him since August. That’s why having him see some action might make sense and it does sound like Mayo is open to the idea.
“I would say it’s still all up in the air,” said Mayo when asked about the possibility of Milton seeing time. “All three quarterbacks, as we’ve carried two, and the emergency quarterback, will be ready to go.”
For now, we’ll see how it all plays out. The hope now is simply that everyone gets out of Sunday’s game healthy enough to try and get a fresh start in 2025.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
Joe Milton starting only makes sense if your goal is to lose. But the Pats culture is you always have to play to win or your culture as a team is compromised. There’s no Andrew Luck to lose for at #1 and getting extra picks in trading back is speculative as the QBs expected to go in the top 2 or 3 I believe are not on par with last years top 3. This whole topic sets up a lose-lose for the Pats. If they play to win and the Bills sit guys the press has a drama to fuel… Read more »