Jerod Mayo gives lukewarm answer on Jacoby Brissett’s job status

When Jacoby Brissett was announced as the Patriots’ starting quarterback last month, coach Jerod Mayo said the organization was 100 percent behind him.

With a subpar offensive line and low expectations for the season overall, the plan was for the veteran Brissett to start the games, run the offense, and take the hits while rookie Drake Maye watches and learns.

Three games into the season, Maye has made an appearance and Mayo said he’s not so sure about Brissett’s status as the starter. He was asked directly if he would consider making a quarterback change.

“I don’t know,” Mayo said. “We talk about every single week you’re competing for a job. So, we’ll get together as a coaching staff and we’ll see how it goes.”

With the Patriots’ 24-3 beatdown of a loss to the Jets in the rearview mirror, here are a few final thoughts from the action.

What happened to being 100 percent behind Brissett?

There are some who believe that starting Maye is the right move. He outplayed Brissett during the preseason, according to Mayo. He is expected to be the quarterback of the future and will have to play eventually. Some would argue that he’s missing out on valuable experience by sitting on the bench.

There are others who believe that the risk of Maye getting injured or losing his confidence behind this offensive line outweigh the rewards of starting him right away.

No matter what a person believes about who starts at quarterback, this much is clear: Mayo’s message after Sunday’s game did not sound like the Patriots are actually 100 percent behind Brissett.

It seems like he gave a pretty lukewarm answer about a guy who managed the game well enough to beat the Bengals in the opener, turned in a competitive performance against the Seahawks, and completed two-thirds of his passes against the Jets.

Brissett has yet to turn the ball over this season, regularly takes a beating behind this patchwork offensive line, and still refuses to throw his teammates under the bus.

“I’m a big man, I can take it. I’m always going to get back up,” Brissett said after being sacked five times. “That’s one thing about me, I’m always going to get back up. Finding ways to make plays, man. That’s what it comes down to. It’s football, I’m supposed to get hit. I didn’t sign up for this sport to not get hit.”

Brissett’s numbers haven’t been great. He’s averaging 122.6 yards per game and has just one touchdown pass. He’s only had two throws go for more than 20 yards.

However, he has been an instant upgrade over Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe simply by taking care of the football. These Patriots are probably a made field-goal against Seattle away from being 2-1 instead of 1-2. Most importantly, the offensive line issues aren’t going to disappear if Maye gets in.

It’s going to be Maye’s team one day. Any player drafted in the top-5 is going to get a shot, and Brissett is on a one-year deal.

Will his time come soon? We’ll have to wait and see.

Fumble watch

Rhamondre Stevenson was a workhorse for the Patriots over the first two games, getting more than 20 carries in each game.

He was limited to six touches and 23 yards against the Jets who shut down New England’s running game.

There is a pattern emerging in Stevenson’s game that could end up being concerning. He has yet to complete a game this season without a fumble.

“I’ve got to hold the ball,” Stevenson said when asked to identify what the issue is. “I just got to hold it.”

Douglas gets touches

After posting zero catches and zero targets last week, DeMario Douglas bounced back with a season-high seven catches for 69 yards.

It was a positive sign for the second-year receiver who had voiced frustration about his lack of touches earlier in the week.

The Patriots made a more concerted effort to get him involved in the game plan and he responded by being the only receiver to get more than 13 yards.

New England still needs a lot more production from its receivers and getting Douglas involved seems like a solid step towards that.

Where’s the pass rush?

Aaron Rodgers looked very, very comfortable as he picked the Patriots apart with short passes Thursday night.

He was sacked twice: Deatrich Wise got to him early in the first quarter and Joshua Uche broke free in the fourth.

But for the most part, it seemed like Rodgers had ample time to stand in the pocket and deliver his throws. He didn’t have to put his 40-year-old legs to use scrambling very often.

Keion White remains the only Patriot with more than one sack (4) this season.

The Patriots lost two of their most productive rushers in Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore. The pass rush, understandably, hasn’t looked the same without them.