The competition for the New England Patriots' starting quarterback job is still alive, which makes Sunday's preseason finale versus the Washington Commanders a pivotal matchup.
“It’s still a competition, and Jacoby (Brissett) is still QB1,” head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters after Wednesday's practice. “It’s a competition amongst all of the guys on the field, including the quarterback spot. Hopefully that makes sense to you guys, but he’s still QB1.”
The competition for the No. 1 job has intensified of late, especially after rookie Drake Maye performed quite well in the preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Thursday. Maye also has played well in subsequent practices.
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“I think anyone can see the confidence growing in Drake, and anyone can see Jacoby go out here, and as a total body of work, do a good job,” Mayo said. "We'll see how it goes."
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What kind of timeline are the Patriots operating on in regards to making a decision on who will start at quarterback in Week 1?
“I would say by Monday night we should know who the quarterback is,” Mayo said. “Sunday night game, it’s always kind of hard to crank through the film, especially on the road, but I think Monday, Monday-Tuesday, we probably need to know who it is. That doesn't mean I'll tell you on Monday or Tuesday."
It'll be interesting to see how much playing time Maye is given Sunday. After playing just one series in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, Maye got four drives -- more than a quarter of playing time in total -- leading the offense versus the Eagles. The Patriots scored 10 of their 13 points in the game on those drives, which included a rushing touchdown by Maye.
There are plenty of pros and cons to starting a rookie Week 1 of the season. The Patriots have a tough schedule over the first six weeks, so it probably makes more sense to go with Brissett to start. But there's no question that Maye has made this QB competition much more interesting over the last week.
