As we approach Week 6 of the NFL season, saying that the New England Patriots have a failed offense would be an understatement. I mean, what is a team to do when they have only 718 passing yards through five games? Kirk Cousins had 509 during Thursday Night Football this week alone.
The Patriots now find themselves in a rare position – they are yet to have a game throwing for over 150 passing yards and are sitting uncomfortably at the bottom of the AFC East.
While the 1-4 record may be great for the team’s draft position, that’s not what fans want to be rooting for. What does this season say about the downfall of the Pats? In the span of just five years, they have gone from Tom Brady to Cam Newton to Mac Jones to tanking for a first-overall pick. Truly hard to watch for dedicated New England fans.
With very few offensive weapons and a terrible offensive line that just lost center David Andrews for the season, it seems as though Jerod Mayo may need to make some changes; Jacoby Brissett is just not getting the job done. After this week’s ugly 15-10 loss to Tyler Huntley and the now two-win Miami Dolphins, Mayo hinted that Week 6 could be time for Drake Maye’s first start as a New England Patriot. As of Tuesday, he has officially been named the starter over Brissett for a matchup vs. the Houston Texans.
Now the question arises: should they start him? Realistically, should the Patriots be plugging Maye into the offense this early during a seemingly lost season? With such a terrible situation at hand, forcing him into a start could destroy the rookie’s confidence and jeopardize the future.
With all that being said, here are the risks that come with Maye making his first start on Sunday afternoon.
Risks of Drake Maye Starting vs. Texans
Loss of Confidence and Exposure to Failure
The Patriots’ offensive line has been a major problem all season, and without Andrews, it may as well be a lost cause. Brissett has been sacked the third-most in the league, getting dropped 17 times by opposing defenders. When Maye played his only drive of the season against the New York Jets in Week 3, even he was sacked twice.
Too many young quarterbacks have been thrown onto the field too early, being hit so much that they are too rattled to perform. Just look at what happened to Zach Wilson – he was sacked 44 times during his 2021 debut season (15 in his first three games) and has fallen into irrelevancy now in Denver.
If a quarterback was the only missing piece for a Patriots playoff run, this be would a different conversation. But they are just not that team in 2024.
Maye’s options will consist of fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk, an unproven Demario Douglas, and MAYBE Kendrick Bourne if he’s healthy. These are three guys that would be lucky to be a WR3 on another team. To add on to the weak receiving core, lining up the rookie behind such a faulty O-line would result in panic forces downfield anyway – there will be way too much pressure on Maye to perform well and he will likely make early mistakes.
The lack of production could plummet his confidence, affecting the long-term success that the Patriots were eyeing when they drafted him with the third-overall pick.
Risk of Injury
The risk here is simple – the last thing that New England wants is for Maye to get out there and get hurt. The Patriots’ offensive line does not seem capable of protecting Maye the way a rookie must be protected. He gets hit hard enough times, all of the hope is gone. Putting him in danger this early seems like way too big of a risk for the future of the rebuild.
Impacting the Draft
This might be a long shot for this list, but let’s not forget how talented Maye is. Let’s say the rookie puts on a stellar performance and shows off the talent that the Patriots bought in on by drafting him – if they win enough games they may lose the privilege of drafting first overall in 2025. If they really want to rebuild and have a shot at the first overall pick, then they have to take it. The talent that the Pats could acquire with that pick cannot be overlooked. Between Colorado’s dual-threat Travis Hunter, Michigan star corner Will Johnson, and an offensive tackle as good as Kelvin Banks Jr. out of Texas, New England cannot risk dropping.
Regardless of the risks, Maye will make his NFL debut Sunday afternoon against a contending Texans team with a dangerous defense. While in-game experience is necessary for the young quarterback, entering an incomplete offense might mean consequences that would set the Patriots even further back than they are. On the bright side, the future of the franchise will showcase his skills for Patriots fans nationwide, finally something worth watching. Maye holds the keys to the Patriots’ future, Sunday being the first chapter in a new era for New England.
Main Image: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
