With the competition for New England’s starting quarterback continuing, Jacoby Brissett suffered a serious injury and Drake May showed off his impressive abilities in New England’s preseason finale against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Brissett got the start against Washington’s reserves and continued to play. The Patriots announced It was a right shoulder injury on New England’s first play of the game. Commanders defensive back KJ Henry ran through the New England quarterback’s box untouched and knocked Priest down, sending him to the turf.
Brissett frowned after the hit but stayed in the game to complete the offense. He threw two more passes before the Patriots puntted him. When the New England offense came down the field afterward, Maye was at quarterback.
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Meanwhile, cameras caught Priest clutching his shoulder on the sideline, but it was unclear how much of the decision was related to the injury. Head coach Jerod Mayo said before the game that Priest was only expected to play one or two series.
Eventually, the Patriots announced in the second quarter that Brissett had injured his right shoulder. He was officially listed as questionable and wore sideline pads throughout the rest of the game, but his night was clearly over.
New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said after the game that Briest would only play one or two series regardless. While he did not have a specific prognosis, Mayo seemed confident that Briest avoided any serious injury. Briest would have been able to continue playing if it had been a regular-season game, Mayo said.
May shows off her arm and physical strength in her first attempt
May’s first play was his most impressive of the preseason. Facing third-and-14 inside New England’s 10-yard line after a punt, May found a gap in the line of scrimmage and raced 17 yards through a Commanders defense that was playing to stop a deep pass.
Two plays later, May showed his arm. On the second attempt from 33 yards from the New England line, May found fellow rookie JaLen Polk on a short pass downfield out of the reach of Commanders defensive back Noah Igbinoghene. The play went 29 yards and a first down.
Polk, a second-round pick in April, is one of May’s top targets when he takes over New England’s offense.
May completed three more passes during the drive that ended with a swing pass to linebacker Kevin Harris for an 18-yard touchdown.
May capped off the attack by completing 5-of-6 passes for 71 yards and a score, plus a 17-yard touchdown run.
Deep May’s goal was disallowed due to a penalty kick.
May ended the first half for New England. The Patriots didn’t score another goal, but May showed his abilities further by scoring a deep goal that was disallowed by a penalty when he had the chance in the two-minute drill.
Facing second-and-10 on the Washington 48-yard line, Maye escaped pressure and raced to his left before sending a deep pass to KJ Osborne, who was wide open near the sideline at the 10-yard line. Osborne then ran the ball in for a score.
But an illegal penalty by left midfielder Chukwuma Okorafor ended the game, an indication that the attack struggled throughout the first half against Washington’s substitutes.
May finished the first half completing 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards (6.3 yards per attempt) with a touchdown and no errors. He added 17 yards on the ground. He did not return for the start of the second half.
Once again, May didn’t face the NFL’s top defensive linemen. But the effort was undoubtedly a confidence boost for the rookie quarterback fresh out of training camp.
Billy Zabe and Joe Milton finished the rest of the game for the Patriots. The Commanders, who scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, led the way with Michael Wiley and Martavis Bryant scoring two touchdowns to win 20-10.
Who will be New England’s starting quarterback in Week 1?
The question now is: Who will start in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals? Maye — the No. 3 pick in April’s draft — is the clear starter of the future. But there’s a strong argument for keeping him on the bench early in his career.
Initial reports out of training camp indicated that Maye was raw and could benefit from some sideline practice. There’s no rush in New England. This Patriots team isn’t built to win right now and isn’t expected to come close to competing in the AFC East. It’s an ideal situation to ease into the role of a young quarterback — especially with a veteran and capable rookie like Brissett on the roster.
May has taken steps forward since the start of camp, including in Sunday’s game and a Week 2 preseason effort against the Philadelphia Eagles that earned May praise.
“He’s definitely taken a step forward.” Mayo said after the Eagles game,“The competition is not over yet. The players will continue to compete, and they have to show not only themselves and their coaches but also their teammates. So, it is definitely still a competition.”
Of course, if Brissett is truly injured, that changes the calculus around Mayo’s decision. The preseason is over, and the Patriots will have two weeks off from competition before their season opener on Sept. 8 — a period in which Mayo will choose their starting quarterback. Mayo called Maye the “second-best quarterback” on their roster now after Sunday’s game, giving a clear idea of where he’s headed.
The question now is not whether May has earned the starting job – but whether he should start earlier in his career or spend more time developing from the bench.
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