Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, first round pick, makes late debut in win over Jets

The 3rd pick of the 2024 NFL Draft had a rather unspectacular debut in prime time.

Drake Maye took over as quarterback in the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots' 24-3 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night.

The Patriots were trailing by the final score with 4:24 left when Maye came on. He made his first impact, completing 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 56.2 rating. He also ran twice for 12 yards.

Patriots starter Jacoby Brissett was hit early and often while leading a New England offense that managed just 40 yards and four first downs in the first half. With the outcome of the game in the balance, head coach Jerod Mayo decided to give his rookie and future franchise playmaker some playing time.

“I just thought it was an opportunity, a good opportunity for him to go out with the ones and put some drives together,” Mayo said. “He moved the ball, we'll look at the film and evaluate it.”

Although the outcome was not in question, Maye still had to deal with the Jets' nasty defense.

The North Carolina product took the lead on what turned out to be the final drive of the game.

In his first NFL game, he threw an incomplete pass and two snaps later was tackled on a 1-yard run. He was pressured three times, sacked twice, and drove the Patriots from their 42-yard line to the Jets' 7-yard line.

He was sacked on the final play of the game because Mayo let the game expire instead of calling a timeout to give his rookie a chance to get the Pats into the end zone.

There was little fuss about the No. 3 pick's first appearance, as he suffered an ugly defeat and the first major setbacks of his career.