If you're hoping Drake Maye will get a chance to play for the New England Patriots during his rookie season, you were probably pretty happy with the way Sunday's Week 1 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals unfolded.
One of the biggest reasons why it made sense not to start Maye at the beginning of the season was concerns over the offensive line.
But that group wasn't a problem Sunday. Not at all, actually.
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The offensive line was a much-maligned group in training camp and the preseason, and with good reason. This unit didn't play well throughout the summer, and the preseason finale -- when the o-line was penalized 10 times -- was probably the low point. But this group deserves a lot of credit for how it played against the Bengals. Sure, starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett took a few hits, but overall the pass protection was fine. Brissett was sacked only once.
The offensive line also run-blocked very well, helping Rhamondre Stevenson pick up 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. The Patriots had 170 rushing yards (4.4 per carry) overall. The success on the ground allowed the Patriots to dominate the time of possession battle (34:03 to 25:57) and prevent too many 3rd-and-long situations.
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If that's how the offensive line is going to play this season, the team won't have to worry about Maye getting hit repeatedly or constantly having to avoid sacks like David Carr's infamous 2002 season. And if the rushing attack is going to average four or more yards per attempt, that would take a lot of pressure off Maye.
The Patriots defense also kept the score close, limiting the high-powered Bengals offense led by Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase to just one play of 25-plus yards gained.
What we saw from the Patriots on both sides of the ball in Week 1 was a team that could play Maye at some point later this season and not have to worry about ruining his confidence or putting him in too many unfavorable situations.
"A day like today was set up perfectly to play a rookie quarterback," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said on NBC Sports Boston's Sports Sunday, as seen in the video player above. "You're running the ball, you're in a manageable down and distance, the score is low, possessions for the other team are limited. You're not getting into a shootout with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.
"It set up perfect for a rookie QB to play, and Jacoby Brissett took full advantage of that, and that's another thing that could keep Drake Maye on the bench.
"They've got a plan for Drake Maye. They're going to be judicious about it. But I do think (Sunday) gave you some hope that this could be a team that could support a rookie quarterback and create the right environment for a rookie quarterback to grow in."
It's important not to draw too many conclusions from Week 1. It's only one game, and it's possible this performance could end up being an outlier amid a bunch of lackluster matchups.
But it wasn't just the victory that was impressive Sunday, it was how the Patriots did it. The turnovers and costly penalties that ruined last season's team were largely absent. New England won the special teams battle, made more winning plays and had more energy/stamina than the opponent late in the game.
The Patriots chose wisely not throwing Maye into the fire in Week 1. And if the team can keep building on Sunday's performance and be competitive on a weekly basis, then it would be wise to give the rookie a chance to run the offense later in the fall.