Patriots fans finally got a healthy helping of Drake Maye in the team’s 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.
As reported by Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer pregame, Jacoby Brissett kicked things off before making way for the 3rd overall pick after two drives. Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe didn’t see action until the 4th quarter,
Live broadcasts and box score can be deceitful metrics for NFL success, and this game was a shining example. Brissett’s sporadic performance had more layers than expected, and drops hindered both rookies’ production.
Maybe the most important and significant stat of the night was one penalty for New England’s offense. This was a massive turnaround from last week, when the group had six accepted penalties against the Panthers. Flags were also flying during joint practice earlier this week.
Another telling stat was the starting offensive line allowing a total of two pressures. When healthy, the group has been solid in protection and given quarterbacks ample time and space to work. Mike Onwenu, David Andrews, and Sidy Sow could grow into one of the league’s better interiors. Chukwuma Okorafor may not see the Pro Bowl anytime soon, but he brings a mean-streak to the line and has rarely lost. Even Vederian Lowe has been better than most would expect (more on that later).
Now, let’s dive into the Eagles matchup, how each quarterback performed, and how certain players’ stocks are looking as we enter preseason week three.
All stats courtesy of PFF.
🏈 QUARTERBACK ROOM
Jacoby Brissett
The numbers were not kind to Jacoby Brissett, who went 3-7 for 17 yards and a Red Zone interception against the Eagles.
During his Monday morning press conference, head coach Jerod Mayo didn’t hold back when addressing the veteran’s turnover.
“Yeah, it was just forcing the play,” Mayo said. “We had other guys open on that play. It was just a poor play. It was a terrible play, and we can’t have those, especially when you have guaranteed points on the board. It turns from an ‘Alright, we got a field goal, and we’re pretty much secure,’ to now it being a 7-point play by turning the ball over. So, just a poor play overall. I think if you asked Jacoby, he would say the same thing.”
Brissett chalked it up to a learning moment between teammates when asked about the play last night.
“It’s just ironing those kinks out…because, yeah, the other side was bracketed and I’m coming back to Hoop and– we just weren’t on the same page at the same time. … I mean, even when Hoop came back to the sideline, and me him were talking…we just haven’t been in that situation before, so it’s gonna be good to learn from a lot of this stuff.”
Mayo is right to condemn unnecessary risks, especially in the Red Zone. Tyquan Thornton and DeMario Douglas were also open for scores at different stages of the play. However, after watching the quarterback in several training camp practices, I can also see his thought process.
Jacoby Brissett Interception Targeting Austin Hooper
Brissett’s scoring territory staple has been backshoulder throws to tight ends. It resulted in a touchdown and an odd interception in joint practice with the Eagles.
Thornton deserves credit for beating his defender, but Philly ends up bracketing both backside receivers, which Brissett admitted played a factor. With Antonio Gibson smothered and Hooper’s stick-nod dead late in the progression, Brissett goes to old-somewhat-reliable and tries throwing the tight end open against slot corner Avonte Maddox. But Hooper enters scramble mode and breaks away from the defender, allowing Maddox to undercut the route. As ugly as the result was, this will be a valuable learning moment for the reunited teammates.
The pair missed another big play opportunity on the game’s first 3rd down.
Jacoby Brissett 3rd Down Shot to Austin Hooper
James Bradberry mixes up his assignments and is late covering Hooper’s corner route. Brissett either pumps towards or keeps himself from throwing to K.J. Osborn, then delivers a low but catchable ball off-platform. Hooper dives to make the catch but fails to survive the ground.
Brissett’s most inexplicable miss of the night was an overthrow to Ja’Lynn Polk, who beat his defender late on a go route. The pair don’t have much chemistry in that part of the field yet, but it continued a trend of spotty deep accuracy.
Jacoby Brissett Deep Miss to Ja’Lynn Polk
Brissett’s best throw came on a laser to Jalen Reagor, who had a defender draped on his back. The quarterback did have DeMario Douglas open to the strong side, but the pre-snap look may have influenced his decision.
Jacoby Brissett Tight-Window Completion to Jalen Reagor
Brissett did make an objectively questionable decision after slipping on a 3rd & 7 dropback, throwing to Douglas while being dragged down by a pass rusher. Douglas was wide open and began to ad-lib as Brissett threw, but you don’t want to see that in a real game.
Jacoby Brissett Near-Sack
Aggressiveness is an ideal trait in a quarterback, but it can blow up in your face if chemistry and precision are lacking. This is especially true when operating from as many clean pockets as the top line provided. The preseason is made for making mistakes and working out kinks, but we’ll have to see that growth down the line.
Drake Maye
Maye’s 15 dropbacks being the most for any Patriots quarterback. He only completed six of 11 passes for 47 yards, and half which came on a well-timed screen. He was far from perfect, but the stats don’t do his performance justice.
Despite going 1-3 for 12 yards on throws of 10+ air yards, the rookie looked great going downfield. Since telling reporters he’s trying to air it out two weeks ago, Maye has found a favorite target in Javon Baker. The 4th-rounder was targeted on each of Maye’s downfield attempts last night, all of which came on 3rd down. The first was a completion to a backside dig that showed Maye’s growth since his first encounter with the Eagles on Tuesday.
“They rolled down the safety and took away the options. And I feel like coming back to backside, I had an in-cut that I think I missed in practice this week that I probably could’ve thrown. So, like I said, just learn from practice and try to translate it to the game.”
Drake Mate Dig Completion to Javon Baker
Maye’s deep shots to Baker wouldn’t be as productive.
Baker was bullied out of bounds on a go-ball to end the group’s first drive. The read may have been pre-determined, as Mitchell Wilcox was wide open over the middle, but it was a well-placed throw.
Drake Mate Shot to Javon Baker
Maye’s best throw of the night, a superb display of pocket presence, eye discipline, and arm talent, also fell incomplete.
Drake Mate Shot to Javon Baker Dropped
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio runs a match zone coverage with Cover 2 trap strong side, and the weak safety cutting Mitchell Wilcox’s route in a quarters technique. This leaves Javon Baker isolated on a corner-post, a matchup Maye loved to exploit at UNC. The quarterback identifies the post-snap look while navigating interior push, then seamlessly throws a strike to Baker. The receiver gets off the line clean and stacks his defender but can’t complete the catch on a diving attempt.
Baker drew defensive pass interference after getting pushed out of bounds, but it also may have come on Maye’s one deep miss.
While reviewing what he’d like to improve on, Maye alluded to being more patient in the pocket, telling reporters postgame, “I feel like I’m scrambling when I can probably sit in there and hang on and try to make a throw.”
Maye’s scrambles came on HOSS concepts (hitches outside, slot seams). He made a wise decision on the first carry with no one open, but he should’ve gone to his hitches quicker against soft coverage on the second.
Drake Maye Scrambles
Maye also had two misses on quick throws from empty, one of which may have been a miscommunication with Baker. These may seem insignificant given his overall performance, but these are the layups he needs to make consistently when defenses take away his downfield options.
Between his trio of misses and some pre-determined throws, there’s plenty left for Maye to work on. Still, his early growth drew praise from Mayo.
“Some of the things that happened during the last couple weeks was just stepping up into pressure,” Mayo explained. “I thought he did a better job overall with using his legs and really extending plays. He made some good throws; we didn’t come down with the catch, but he definitely took a step forward. … I would say as a whole, I thought he moved around a lot better.”
The head coach added the quarterback competition isn’t over, and that staff meetings will determine if Maye finally gets practice reps with the top offense this week. He also said New England’s much-maligned offensive line, which allowed just two pressures with the top quarterbacks under center, would not affect the decision to start Maye.
For all of the rookie’s flaws last night, he showed more than enough to be considered more seriously in the race. If he gets those opportunities and outplays Brisett, we’ll see whether the team wants to protect the rookie or trusts him to learn on the fly.
Joe Milton
Joe Milton entered the game late in the 3rd quarter, and much like Maye, his stat line wasn’t reflective of his performance.
Milton went 2-7 for 20 yards, but JaQuae Jackson suffered an injury while breaking on one incompletion, and David Wallis seemed to run the wrong route on another. Milton did throw outside of La’Michael Pettway and Terrell Jennings’ frames on his final attempts, but both should’ve been caught.
Joe Milton Dropped Passes
Milton had one deep attempt on the night, but it came after his only egregious error in three drives.
Joe Milton Miscommunication, Ad Lib
The Patriots are faking outside zone left to run a bootleg right, but Milton goes the wrong direction while executing his play-fake. He quickly recognizes the error and reverses field, sees Wallis turning upfield, and delivers a backshoulder dart while on the run.
Milton took responsibility for the miscue, calling it a miscommunication on his end, and the throw may have been on the risky side. But for a third-string quarterback trying to win his own position battle, it was an impressive display of improvisational ability.
Milton tried making another play with his legs on 3rd & 10 during his second series, but wound up dropping his shoulder into contact well short of the marker.
Joe Milton Scramble
“You don’t want to see them take big hits. I talked to Joe when he came off the field when he tried to run over a guy,” Mayo said when asked about his quarterbacks using their legs. “These are grown men on the other side as well. What I will say, if you look at the best quarterbacks in the league, they have to be able to make those off-schedule plays. And I would say all three of them have the ability to do that. It’s more about the hits. It’s okay getting out of the pocket.”
That would be the last time Milton left the pocket, however, as two instant sacks on three plays thwarted a comeback attempt on his final drive.
While Milton won’t make highlight reels like he did in against the Panthers, it was another solid performance from the talented rookie.
Bailey Zappe
After starring in the preseason opener, Zappe only saw the field for the final drive against the Eagles.
Down one point with 2:25 remaining, he quickly got the offense near midfield with three straight completions. The final connection was unironically one of his best career throws; an anticipation throw to a deep out route from the opposite hash.
Bailey Zappe Hot Start to Two-Minute Drive
This promising drive ended when a low snap from Liam Fornadell was recovered by Philly to ice the game.
Say what you want about Zappe, but he’s having the best summer of his career and deserves to be a backup somewhere. But given what Maye and Milton have shown this summer, it’s doubtful that place is New England.
📈 STOCK UP
Vederian Lowe
This one will come as a shock to many, but Lowe was better in pass protection than he seemed live. In fact, the offense’s snap count leader (38) earned the third-highest offensive grade (74.6).
It wasn’t a perfect performance. Lowe allowed the only sack on Maye after oversetting despite having chip help, which may have done more harm than good. He also contributed to Brissett’s near-sack by opened his hips too quickly and was also flagged for a false start, the only time New England was penalized in the game.
Outside of those three infractions, two of which are correctable, Lowe was excellent in protection. His independent hand use and strike accuracy have improved under offensive line coach Scott Peters, allowing Lowe to dominate 2023 1st-rounder Nolan Smith Jr. He also looked good when reach blocking on the back of outside zone.
I still don’t view Lowe as a long-term starting option this season, and I’d like to see Caedan Wallace mix in at left tackle with the starters this week. That said, the lightning rod for criticism has proven to be a quality backup and solid spot starter this summer.
Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson averaged just 3.0 yards on six carries, but 77.8% of his yards came after contact. The offensive line didn’t get great push on most of his carries, but the back created his own yards by churning through or spinning away from tacklers. Stevenson is also looking as spry as ever, and he could be primed for a career year if he gets sufficient blocking.
Kayshon Boutte
Boutte led the Patriots’ receiving corps with three catches for 23 yards on four targets. He showed strong hands, reeling in a high throw in the flat and a contested curl, and did a better job working back to the ball. He may have even caused his defender to slip on a deep out (though field conditions may have played a factor). Boutte also had a hard-nosed blocking rep where he took on an edge defender, but the run was aborted due to a fumbled snap.
Boutte’s one lowlight was his final target during a two-minute situation where he was smothered on another curl. Bailey Zappe’s throw was also late and ill-advised.
Joey Slye
The kicker competition has been leaning in Slye’s favor recently, and that continued against the Panthers. He made field goals of 51 and 45 yards, while Chad Ryland only attempted an extra point.
📉 STOCK DOWN
Quarterback-Center Exchanges
The Patriots had three quarterback-center exchanges lead to fumbles Thursday night. The first was a botched exchange between Maye and Nick Leverett. Liam Fornadel was at center for the other two, but with two different quarterbacks in Milton and Zappe.
Mayo called there errors one of the more disappointing things about Thursday’s game, and for good reason considering one ended the game. Fornadel took over for Atonio Mafi after his snapping struggles this offseason, but natural Charles Turner has barely played. However the issue gets resolved, New England can’t afford to have one reliable snapper on its roster, and quarterbacks must do a better job getting on the same page with their centers.
“You can sit there and say whose fault it is, but it’s both,” Mayo explained, “It’s a problem between the quarterback and the center, and we definitely have to get better at that. That’s part of the preseason, to make sure that we’re good on the quarterback-center exchange. You have to get used to taking snaps from other people outside of David Andrews, and we just have to do a better job and rep that more.”
Nick Leverett
In addition to his botched snap, Leverett allowed quick penetration or was easily handled on multiple runs. He was also pushed into the pocket on a couple of dropbacks.
The former Buccaneer brings much-needed versatility and an edge to New England’s interior. But outside of two Red Zone snaps last week, he’s failed to impress in the ground game, which is especially worrisome in an outside zone scheme.
Atonio Mafi
Atonio Mafi played just 11 offensive snaps, all late in the 4th quarter, but he contributed to two quick sacks in a three-play stretch. He also appears to have lost his spot at 3rd-string center. There’s one more game for Mafi to make an impression, but the 2023 draft pick feels like a longshot to make the roster.
Austin Hooper
Hooper has been one of Jacoby Brissett’s favorite targets this summer, but their success rate has been streaky. Unlike the ever-reliable Hunter Henry, the former teammates haven’t consistently been in sync.
The tight end is a massive target who attacks the ball, as we saw when he extended for a flat target on his only catch of the day. Unfortunately, finishing has been an issue on higher-difficulty plays, like when he dove for a deep pass that hit him in the hands. The veteran was also targeted on New England’s only interception when he began to ad-lib as Brissett tried hitting him on a backshoulder throw.
Hooper also got tossed by an Eagles defender while blocking on a 3rd & 1, but he deserves credit for pushing the pile to help move the chains.
