Drake Maye impressed Jerod Mayo in the last preseason game against the Washington Commanders. Though the New England team lost 20-10 to the Commanders, the Patriots head coach was left impressed by Maye, but not in the way you think. Despite getting a lot of playtime in this game, Mayo thinks that the rookie is the “second best” QB on the roster.

The Patriots beat writer Doug Kyed took to X and reported that the “Patriots HC Jerod Mayo just referred to Drake Maye as the second-best quarterback on the roster when asked if Maye would play if Jacoby Brissett can’t.” However, the rookie quarterback was not deterred and responded to Mayo’s comments.

“Yeah, I think I would feel ready I think I’m ready for whatever this football team asks of me,” Drake Maye said in response when the reporter asked him if he’s prepared to play in week 1. However, the game against Cincinnati is still more than a week away, so let’s talk about his performance against the Commanders.

Maye completed 13 of his 20 passes and threw for 125 yards and a touchdown as well. The best thing about his performance today was that he didn’t throw a pick or get sacked. The best part about his performance was the 18-yard TD touchdown pass to Kevin Harris. Maye had his eyes set on the target and let the ball go as soon as the shotgun commenced.

But despite his shoe getting worn off, Maye threw an absolute 48-yard dime to KJ Osbourne on the run. Unfortunately, that play was nullified due to an illegal procedure call. But that pass looked phenomenal, to say the least.

Also, Maye found an opening on a 3 and long, scrambled for another 17 yards, and got the first down after he avoided the blitz. If Jacoby Brissett hadn’t left the game the way he did, we wouldn’t have got to witness what was arguably Drake Maye’s best game.

When Mayo was asked about Brissett’s possible absence in the future and Drake Maye getting a chance in his lieu, the Pats HC noted, “I would like to sit here and say 100%, he’s our second-best quarterback on the roster right now.” Mayo declined to comment any further on the New England Patriots’ strategies going forward.

However, if Jacoby Brissett hadn’t left the game the way he did, we wouldn’t have got to witness what was arguably Drake Maye’s best game. Let’s talk about the injury.

Jacoby Brissett throws Drake Maye a lifeline

The game had just started, and Jacoby Brissett found himself in a conundrum. The Patriots veteran took a hit from Commanders’ KJ Henry and was sacked. It was a nasty hit and Brissett soon found himself on the turf after getting hit from the right side. Despite sustaining an injury in his right shoulder, the QB continued the drive. He even threw two more passes after the Pats punt, but was nowhere to be found when the offense returned.

The New England team hasn’t disclosed the seriousness of his injury and it’s not clear whether he’ll get better by week 1. Per Mayo’s plans, Brissett was to take the field for a series or two and the head coach thinks that this is not a major injury.

“No, that was the plan. We were going to play Jacoby a series or two and get Drake in. He would have been able to continue,” head coach Jerod Mayo said post-game. “I talked to him. We’ll see tomorrow. You always feel a little bit more sore the next day, but he said he was good. We’ll find out tomorrow.”

Though assessing the quarterback room just got tricky, Mayo reassured everyone that the Pats will put their best foot forward and let the best players take the field.

 If you want to find out Chris Gronkowski’s take on his NFL journey, and other things, check out the Dual Threat Podcast with BG12.