The competition for the New England Patriots' starting quarterback job isn't over. In fact, it just got a lot more interesting.
Jacoby Brissett appeared to have the inside track to earning the No. 1 QB role after outperforming rookie Drake Maye for much of training camp. But the situation is a bit different after Thursday night's preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Not only did Brissett throw a bad interception in the red zone and fail to impress overall, Maye played very well and led the offense to score 10 of its 13 points during his four drives of action.
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Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters in a video press conference Friday morning that the quarterback competition is still ongoing.
"We have three more days of training camp practices, and it's our job as coaches to evaluate," Mayo said. "The competition isn't over. They're still going to go out there, and they have to show not only themselves and their coaches but also their teammates. So, it's definitely still a competition."
Maye completed six of 11 pass attempts for 47 yards Thursday. He also ran five times and picked up 15 yards, including a 4-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
What did Mayo like about Maye's performance versus the Eagles?
"Some of the things that happened during the last couple weeks was just stepping up into pressure. I thought he did a better job overall with using his legs and really extending plays," Mayo said.
"He made some good throws; we didn’t come down with the catch, but he definitely took a step forward. When the sack happened, the defensive end got chipped inside, just that miscommunication. To see him take a hit like that is definitely unfortunate, but I would say as a whole, I thought he moved around a lot better."
🔊 Next Pats: Drake Maye shows off CANNON and COMPOSURE vs. Eagles | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
The Patriots still have one more preseason game and about three more weeks of practice before they travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals in Week 1 of the regular season on Sept. 8.
What does Mayo need to see from Maye for the rookie to inch closer to winning the starting job?
"I think first and foremost is just the entire operation," Mayo said. "I think it needs to be faster. I think he needs to get those guys in the huddle faster, get them out of the huddle faster, get to the line and just be on point. I think that's definitely a thing that he has to work on, and I think he is. Like I said, we have three more days of camp, and that's going to be my point of emphasis for him."