Why the Pats should choose Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots’ offense was an absolute disaster in their loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 12 of his 18 passes for just 98 yards in the 24-3 loss and was sacked five times before being replaced by rookie Drake Maye with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

It was an unspectacular NFL debut for Maye. The third overall pick was 4 of 8 passing for 22 yards and was sacked twice, totaling seven sacks and 15 QB hits for the Jets defense. As a unit, the Patriots offense managed just 139 yards at an average of 2.9 yards per play.

Despite the offensive struggles, Pats head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt are sticking with Brissett at quarterback when they face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4. But should they consider giving Maye a chance to be in the starting lineup?

Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry discussed in the latest episode of Patriots Talk Podcast.

🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Patriots crash to earth against Jets; how do they bounce back? | Listen and subscribe | Watch on YouTube

“I don’t think so,” Perry said of substituting Brissett in favor of Maye. “I think he’s exactly what they need right now, and I think even though Drake Maye was used today, you can make that move as Jerod Mayo under the guise of, ‘We’re just trying to get him some reps and get him some live action in a real situation.’ There were a lot of regulars that were out. …

“You can give Drake Maye a couple of live NFL appearances and then take him back out for Week 4 and it’s not really an issue. There’s no controversy in my opinion. If you want to have him play from the start and then switch back and forth, that’s too much. … The line isn’t ready for him, and I’m not sure he’s ready considering how he played tonight.”

Curran is not convinced that Maye will perform better than Brissett behind the Patriots’ leaky offensive line.

“I think it’s going to look terrible,” he said. “I think people are going to say, ‘My God, why did we do that?’ I think it’s going to look so bad.”

Judging by Mayes’ brief cameo Thursday night, Perry fears that throwing the North Carolina product into the fire will stunt his development.

“I would be afraid he would let up,” Perry said. “I know it’s a spur of the moment decision, and even though he prepares like he has to play, he probably doesn’t expect it in the middle of the game. The fact that his first pitch was almost picked, probably should have been picked, is not a good sign.”

“And then there were problems navigating the pocket. He had that one scramble where he took a huge hit. … So I’m just worried that there are enough plays like that where at the end of the day, all the work they put into the footwork kind of falls to pieces.”

Also in the episode:

• Analysis of what went wrong in New York.

• This is thanks to Jacoby Brissett’s toughness.

• What did the locker room look like after the game?