Aaron Rodgers was back in his vintage form. Who would have thought A-Rod would deliver such a massive win for the New York Jets so soon? But on the flip side, who could have also imagined Jacoby Brissett‘s Patriots would fall so badly at MetLife Stadium, that would help break the Jets’ losing streak of 9 years? Yes! The Jets last won against the Patriots on December 27, 2015, and arguably a major credit for this loss goes to Brissett as well as the Patriots’ offense.

With being sacked and hit five & ten times respectively in Week 3, Jacoby Brissett is currently under heavy scrutiny. Many, including the former NFL quarterback, Robert Griffin III, demanded Drake Maye to be back as the starter. He seemed frustrated and said, “Please put Drake Maye in. My God.” So, obviously, the question is, should Maye come in to replace Brissett? Has the young quarterback done enough in preseason and practice camps to claim the QB 1 spot?

A look into Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett’s stats!

The current locker room chaos after the 24-3 blowout as well as the NFL fans questioning Jacoby Brissett’s worth, itself tells that maybe Drake Maye is better than the veteran QB. But, again, it’s better to take a look at the stats of both quarterbacks first before moving forward to analyze who is better than whom. If we talk about the recent game against the Jets, Jacoby Brissett completed 12 out of 18 passes. He threw for just 98 yards, and on average each pass gained 5.4 yards. In addition to that, what turned out to be devastating for him was he wasn’t able to throw any touchdown passes. However, the only good thing was he wasn’t intercepted. But Brissett was sacked 5 times, losing 46 yards. Nevertheless, via ESPN, he still gets an 80.3 passer rating. And now, it’s time to talk about Drake Maye.

Now it would be unfair to compare the performances of these two quarterbacks in the Jets game, as Drake Maye only received a few snaps after making his NFL regular-season debut with 4:24 left on the clock. But still, Maye managed a 56.2 passer rating, which was lower but close to Brissett’s. Maye didn’t get a chance to throw any touchdowns and was sacked twice, losing 13 yards. He gained 22 passing yards, averaging 2.8 yards per attempt. On the bright side, he wasn’t intercepted and completed 4 out of 8 passes. So, this means, if we talk about the completion of passes, as well as passer rating, Maye has an upper hand over Brissett. But again, in terms of sacks and losing yards, Brissett could be considered as better than Maye, given the time and pressure he played under. However, in touchdowns and interceptions, they both stand at the same position.

Hence, it would be difficult to fully agree that Drake Maye should be given the chance, just as it’s hard to accept that Brissett played well. But many fans are convinced that Maye should be given the chance after seeing his preseason performance. In the preseason, Maye actually outperformed Brissett, as his “completion percentage (62%) was almost double what Brissett’s was (35% completion), even with a yards per attempt that was three yards higher than Brissett’s (5.5 yards per attempt).” This comparison shows Maye had a more efficient performance. He knows the value of securing the football. This highlights his potential to step up. But is it? According to NFL news, “Brissett could still start.”

Why is there a chance of Jacoby Brissett again and not Drake Maye?

Well, the answer to this lies in what coach Jerod Mayo thinks! In the game against the Jets, Jacoby Brissett mostly watched as the Patriots struggled to find their rhythm. The offense turned out to be a mess from the start. Hence, as obvious, Brissett started facing constant pressure. And guess what? When he finally moved the ball to do something for his team, it resulted in a field goal drive fueled by penalties.

Hence, seeing his team fumble with 3-24, coach Jerod Mayo decided to pull Brissett for rookie Drake Maye in the fourth quarter. But by that time, it was too late. And as it was Maye’s NFL debut, it wasn’t easy to score under such pressure and that too against the strong Jets. So, what happened next was, Drake Maye’s first pass was almost intercepted. He even took a tough hit (eventually leading to five hits and two sacks). But still, Maye got up, and settled in quickly. In his last few seconds of possession of the football, he made a nice throw to Demario Douglas, and ended with a sack on the final play.

So, if you look at these plays closely, you will get to know that neither Drake Maye nor Brissett performed as per the expectations of the coach. And the biggest reason behind it was the pressure on the entire team from the start. Probably, that’s why coach Mayo has preferred not to speak anything on the QB options at present. He has informed the media that his team will rewatch the film before making any final decision.

So, it would be safer to say, at present both quarterbacks are fighting for the same goal. Therefore, it remains to be seen who will get the QB 1 role this time?

Until then, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on the current NFL season, college football, NIL, and much more.