• Patriots flip to rookie Drake Maye: After a 1-4 begin and struggles on offense, New England benches Jacoby Brissett in favor of 2024 third-overall choose Drake Maye, hoping for a much-needed spark.
• Facing a troublesome debut check: Maye’s transition to the NFL will probably be difficult behind a struggling offensive line and towards a formidable Texans move rush.
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Estimated studying time: 5 minutes
After a 1-4 begin that noticed them rank twenty sixth in EPA per play and thirty first in factors scored, the New England Patriots have benched quarterback Jacoby Brissett in favor of Drake Maye, the third total collection of the 2024 draft, hoping he can present the spark this group desperately wants.
Brissett’s benching is considerably shocking however not within the ordinary sense. His efficiency by way of the primary 5 video games has been lackluster sufficient to warrant a change. He’s accomplished simply 57.2% of his passes for 734 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception — a pick-six by Fred Warner.
His single-game-high in passing yardage this season is just 177, which got here final week towards the Dolphins on a season-high 21 completions. He has recorded simply three big-time throws in comparison with six turnover-worthy performs, with most of those errors coming within the final two weeks. All three of his big-time throws have come within the final two video games, whereas 5 of his six turnover-worthy performs occurred in Week 4 towards the 49ers.
This has resulted in a passing grade of simply 56.0, twenty fifth out of 30 quarterbacks with at the least 100 dropbacks this season.
Brissett’s benching is shocking primarily as a result of the Patriots had been holding off on taking part in Drake Maye, aiming to keep away from throwing him into a troublesome state of affairs earlier than the group might enhance sufficient to offer a greater setting for his improvement.
The Patriots offense has been paper-thin, with Hunter Henry main the group in receiving yards at simply 180 (109 of which got here in Week 2 towards Seattle). Demario Douglas is subsequent with 153 yards however has but to surpass 69 yards in a sport. The highest receiving grade on the group belongs to Kayshon Boutte at 66.7, although he has seen simply 4 targets all season. Kendrick Bourne, who missed the beginning of the season, returned towards the Dolphins, contributing only one catch for six yards.
And then there’s the offensive line, arguably the weakest within the league.
The Patriots’ 47.7 group pass-blocking grade ranks thirtieth within the NFL, forward of the Saints and Rams. Their 2.39-second common time to strain is second-worst within the league, whereas solely the Browns and Seahawks have allowed extra complete pressures than the Pats’ 84.
Through 5 weeks, New England’s quarterbacks have been knocked down on 26.4% of their dropbacks, the second-worst price within the league behind solely the Browns. The offensive line has allowed 59 pressures in below 2.5 seconds, tied with the Giants for the third-worst mark.
Surprisingly, opposing defenses have not blitzed typically, with the Patriots going through a blitz on simply 30.8% of dropbacks, rating twenty second within the league.
Injuries have been a problem, as Cole Strange has but to play this season as a consequence of harm, and David Andrews was just lately positioned on season-ending IR with a shoulder harm. Sidy Sow has additionally missed time as a consequence of harm, forcing Michael Onwenu to maneuver across the line much more than anticipated.
As it stands, that is the offensive line the Patriots are anticipated to characteristic once they tackle the Texans on Sunday.
While Lowe’s pass-blocking grade seems robust, it is closely influenced by one standout sport towards the Dolphins final week, the place he allowed zero pressures on 41 pass-blocking snaps and earned a 90.5 grade — the most effective efficiency of his three-year profession. Without that sport, his pass-blocking grade drops to 64.7. And like a number of others on the Patriots’ offensive line, he has missed time as a consequence of harm this season.
Other potential contributors embrace Michael Jordan (75.9 pass-blocking grade), Caedan Wallace (48.6) and Demontrey Jacobs (28.5). Given these struggles, it is possible that Maye will face important strain early on towards a Texans protection that ranks eighth in pass-rush productiveness by way of 5 weeks.
So, how involved ought to Patriots followers be about Maye’s debut towards a powerful Texans move rush? At North Carolina final season, Maye earned a 91.7 passing grade when saved clear. However, that grade dropped to 61.3 when pressured. While this may sound low, it really ranked nineteenth out of 162 qualifying quarterbacks. Maye was pressured on 29.4% of his dropbacks, which positioned him 52nd in the identical group.
Through 5 weeks within the NFL, Derek Carr leads all quarterbacks with a 79.1 grade when below strain, with solely three different qualifying quarterbacks incomes a passing grade of at the least 70.0 in these conditions. If Drake Maye’s 61.3 passing grade below strain from school translated on to the NFL, he would rank because the seventh-best passer in such situations.
However, anticipating that degree of efficiency is a tall order. Last season’s prime school quarterback below strain, Bo Nix, earned a 91.2 passing grade in these conditions. Yet, by way of 5 NFL video games, Nix has a passing grade of simply 31.3 when pressured, rating twenty seventh out of 34 quarterbacks with at the least 20 pressured dropbacks. This demonstrates that success below strain in school doesn’t at all times translate seamlessly to the NFL.
Maye’s efficiency when blitzed was even stronger, with an 81.3 passing grade when going through 5 or extra rushers, putting him twentieth within the nation final season. If this grade carried over to the NFL, he can be second solely to C.J. Stroud by way of 5 video games this season.
The capability of this stat to translate to the NFL has been blended for Maye’s fellow rookies. Last season, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels have been the highest quarterbacks within the nation when blitzed, with Nix incomes a 90.6 passing grade and Daniels a 90.1. However, by way of 5 NFL video games, Nix has managed only a 53.6 grade when blitzed (twenty seventh out of 32 quarterbacks with at the least 20 such dropbacks), whereas Daniels has seen extra success at 65.6 (tenth).
Caleb Williams, who earned an 83.5 grade towards the blitz in school (thirteenth), has additionally struggled to keep up that efficiency within the professionals, posting a 52.4 grade (twenty eighth). Notably, every of those quarterbacks had larger blitz grades in school than Maye did, but they’ve encountered challenges adjusting to NFL defenses.
Given the Patriots’ offensive struggles, it’s comprehensible to query if it’s too quickly to start out Drake Maye, particularly towards a protection just like the Texans. While Maye has proven success in school when coping with strain, the efficiency of his fellow rookies signifies that translating that success to the NFL is much from assured.