Drake Maye reacts to his NFL debut in the Patriots’ loss to the Jets

Drake Mayes’ reaction to his NFL debut in the Patriots’ loss to the Jets originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It only took Drake Maye three games to make his first appearances as an NFL player.

The New England Patriots rookie quarterback made his professional debut late in the fourth quarter of their Week 3 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.

The outcome was already decided when Maye entered the game with 4:24 left and the Patriots trailing 24-3. He completed four of eight passes for 22 yards. He also ran out of the pocket a few times and managed 12 rushing yards. Maye was also hit five times and sacked twice.

“I just wanted to go out there, make some plays and have fun,” Maye told reporters in the locker room, as reported on NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots postgame live. “I was a little nervous walking out there. What a night with the crowd and the atmosphere to play my first game.”

How would Maye evaluate his limited measures?

“We can’t take stupid sacks. We’re trying to get the ball out, and you can’t take sacks in that situation,” Maye said. “At the same time, we got some first downs and moved the chains, made some plays with my feet and beat (DeMario Douglas) over the middle. So we saw some good things at the same time.”

What was Mayo’s message to Maye before he entered the field?

“Just be smart about football. Don’t do anything stupid,” Maye said. “Just stop playing the game. And enjoy it at the same time. Try to make some plays.”

Jacoby Brissett started at quarterback for the third time in as many games this season. He completed 12 of 18 passing attempts for 98 yards. Those numbers aren’t amazing, but in his defense, he had almost no time to throw the football. The offensive line played awfully in this game. Brissett was sacked five times and hit 10 times. There wasn’t much he could do.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was asked during his postgame press conference if he would consider a change at the quarterback position in the future.

“I don’t know,” Mayo said. “We talk about it every week. They’re competing for a job. We’ll sit down as a coaching staff and see where it goes.”

The Patriots have a few extra days to prepare for their Week 4 road game against the San Francisco 49ers on September 29. Despite entering Week 3 with an 0-2 record, the 49ers boast one of the most talented rosters in the league and an elite defense.