The Patriots start Sunday against the Texans with Drake Maye at quarterback

Maye, who was drafted third overall out of North Carolina, played 16 snaps in the final 4½ minutes of the Week 3 loss to the Jets. He completed 4 of 8 passes for 50 yards, ran for 12 yards and was sacked twice.

Going into the season, the Patriots planned for Brissett to keep the team afloat until they deemed Maye ready to start. Before Week 1, Mayo even went so far as to say that if Brissett performed as expected, he would remain the season’s starting quarterback.

But since the win over the Bengals in the season opener, the Patriots have gone downhill. The Patriots’ offensive line played a major role in Brissett’s troubles, ensuring the defense recorded the highest pressures in the league. The unit will also be without starting center David Andrews, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. The lack of top-notch receiver talent has also impacted the offense’s effectiveness.

Despite these factors, the Patriots decided it was time to move on from their bridge quarterback nearly a third of the way through the season. Brissett’s recent performance, Mayo said, “just wasn’t good enough.” Now they’re turning to Maye, who they hope will be their franchise quarterback.

The Patriots had prepared Maye for this opportunity, giving him 30 percent of the first-team practice reps. He is also responsible for snaps with the scout team and imitating the opposing quarterback of the week. According to reviews from coaches and players, Maye has continued to make consistent progress.

Maye, 6 feet 4 inches and 225 pounds, has impressive size, arm strength and agility. The hope is that his playmaking ability can rejuvenate an offense that has averaged just 12.4 points per game, ranking 31st in the league.

Maye joins Chicago’s Caleb Williams, Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Denver’s Bo Nix as the league’s rookie starting quarterbacks.

Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @nicolecyang.