Reading between the lines: Patriots could prepare for Drake Maye originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO – It’s not just that the Patriots are losing. It’s how they lose that could spark a change for them at the most important position in the game.
After a 15-10 loss that dropped the Patriots to 1-4 on the seasonCould head coach Jerod Mayo choose to face Drake Maye next Sunday against the Texans at Gillette Stadium?
Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett finished the game completing 18 of 34 passes for 160 yards (4.7 per attempt), giving him a passer rating of 65.8.
When Mayo was asked Monday morning to evaluate Brissett’s play on Sunday, he did nothing to quell speculation that the Patriots could be looking to make a change.
“It just wasn’t enough,” Mayo said. “I thought we played well enough defensively and on special teams to win the football game. As a quarterback, and he understands this, he touches the ball on every play and we didn’t win the game or score enough points to win the game I think he would echo the same sentiment, that it wasn’t good enough.
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The numbers speak for themselves. The Patriots need to do something offensively to change the direction they are going.
They are 31st in the NFL in points per game (12.4), yards per game (239.4) and yards per play (4.3). They are tied for last in the league in touchdowns (five). Their passing game has been particularly unproductive, averaging just 3.7 yards per pass, which is 31st in the NFL. They are 30th in EPA per pass, according to NextGen Stats.
After allowing 18 pressures on 37 losses against the Dolphins (49 percent), the Patriots have a pressure rate of 48.3 percent, which ranks them last in the league. Their offensive line has been a problem all season, but Sunday’s pressure issues weren’t just with the blockers up front.
On their 18 dropbacks under pressure, average time to pressurization was 2.96 seconds. This is not an unmanageable number. For reference, the Chiefs have the second-longest pressure time in football this season at 2.99 seconds.
Although six drops were generated in less than 2.0 seconds, five more presses occurred 3.5 seconds (or more) after the snap.
Not all pressures are equal. And not all pressure necessarily means the offensive line has been beaten. Mayo seemed to agree Monday.
“I actually think they did a really good job,” Mayo said of his line. “Sure, there was pressure throughout the day, but there were also a few pockets that looked pretty clean…I think they showed some progress there.”
The line helped the Patriots run for 7.9 yards per carry, and they appeared to leave the game healthy, which could open up the possibility for them to have some consistency from Week 5 to Week 6 against the Texans .
The combination of performance in the passing game and some “progress” on the offensive line could open the door for Mayo to make a change in Maye.
The question is – especially since the team is still in the early stages of its evolution. without center and captain David Andrews — Does Mayo feel comfortable playing Maye behind this line as it is currently constructed?
This is a unit that has yet to have the same starting lineup in any of its five games. And it’s a unit that’s about to take on a Houston defense that, in Week 5, hit Bills quarterback Josh Allen nine times and held him to a success rate by 30 percent.
There aren’t many obvious soft landing spots on the timeline for Maye to begin his career as the Patriots’ starter. But after hearing Mayo’s comments Monday morning and seeing how they performed offensively, the rookie’s debut could be on the horizon.
