Patriots' Drake Maye makes NFL debut as rookie QB replacing Jacoby Brissett late in blowout loss to Jets

Welcome to the National Football League (NFL)Drake Maye. With less than five minutes left in the New England Patriots' Week 3 game against the New York Jets and trailing 24-3, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo benched veteran Jacoby Brissett and put his first-round rookie quarterback on the team.

This was Maye's first taste of regular-season action since being the third overall pick in the 2024 draft. NFL Draft from UNC. Maye battled with Brissett for the starting job throughout the summer, but despite a late surge with some solid performances in the preseason, the job ultimately went to the veteran.

In this game against the Jets, Maye's first pass attempt was incomplete as he was headed toward tight end Austin Hooper and was nearly intercepted. His second pass was completed on a short pass to Kayshon Boutte. On the night, he completed four of his eight passes for 22 yards and took two sacks.

Given the nature of how this Week 3 matchup got out of hand, it's unclear if this is a changing of the guard for the Patriots under center. In reality, it seems more like the team is waving the white flag and getting Brissett, who was sacked five times on the night, out of harm's way. Brissett completed 12 of his 18 passes on the night for just 98 yards as New England's offense struggled to find a rhythm.

As a team, the Patriots totaled just 139 yards of total offense in the 24-3 loss, compared to the 400 yards of offense recorded by New York.