Patriots
Drake Maye will look to make a convincing case for QB1 reps moving forward during Sunday’s preseason finale.
Drake Maye and several other players on the Patriots’ roster will make one final push for featured Week-1 roles on Sunday when New England takes on the Commanders in its preseason finale.
Kick-off from Commanders Field is set for 8 p.m.
Even though Jayden Daniels and most of Washington’s starters will not play on Sunday, the same can’t be said for a New England team that still has plenty of question marks surrounding its roster.
“No, we’re going to play,” Jerod Mayo said earlier this week about if the Patriots will play a majority of their starters against the Commanders. “This game, we say it doesn’t count, but it matters.
“To me, the only way to get better at football is to play football. We can run around here in shorts, or run out here in full pads and not tackle and then get to the game, and it looks like crap. I think it’s important to get that live action and to build on our conditioning.”
Jacoby Brissett is expected to start for New England under center, while Drake Maye, Joe Milton III, and Bailey Zappe are also expected to play.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe has a look at five things to watch for on Sunday night — including Maye’s chances to make a legitimate case for the QB1 spot and New England’s reshuffle offensive line.
Follow along here for live updates from Sunday’s game, and check back once the game wraps for some early observations.
LIVE UPDATES
9:20: And now Sidy Sow is banged up for New England. Seems like an ankle injury as he makes his way over to the blue tent.
9:15: A reminder that this is Washington’s 2nd and 3rd-string players. I don’t think you can roll out Drake Maye in Week 1 — not with this pass protection in front of him.
9:13: Doesn’t look like Brissett was coming back into the game anyway, but Brissett is indeed banged up because of that first-quarter sack.
9:10: This is just embarrassing at this point.
9:05: Just an embarrassing performance from the Patriots’ O-line tonight. Bad snaps, illegal formations — ugly stuff.
9:03: Joe Giles-Harris with a nice pick against Jeff Driskel. Will certainly help his case to make the 53-man roster.
8:55: Make that 2 illegal formation penalties in 3 offensive snaps against Okorafor. This O-line is absolutely brutal.
8:47: Shoeless Drake Maye >>> Shoeless Joe Jackson
8:40: Really encouraging start from Maye. He goes 5/6 for 71 yards and a touchdown on that drive.
8:40: End First: Patriots lead Washington, 7-0.
8:39: Touchdown Patriots. Maye hits Kevin Harris for a 17-yard score. Ryland with the extra point.
7-0 Patriots.
https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1827867636908143083
8:38: Yet another 3rd-down conversion from Maye – Pop Douglas picks up 16 yards here.
8:35: That’s a beautiful throw from Drake Maye to Polk — gain of 29 yards.
8:33: Brutal drive from Nick Leverett so far. David Andrews better not get hurt.
8:32: Drake Maye – dual-threat QB? He gains 17 yards on the ground on a 3rd-and-14.
8:30: Doesn’t seem like Brissett’s injury is serious.
8:28: Brutal snap from Leverett out of the shotgun. Maye falls on the ball. Not a great start.
8:23: Sure enough, it’s Drake Maye after just one series from Brissett. Brissett was only supposed to get one or two series, but he also looked banged up after taking that sack.
Brissett: 2-for-4, 19 yards. Eight snaps. One crushing sack.
8:13: Brutal miscommunication in pass protection leads to Brissett getting crushed. Seems a little shaken up after the play.
8:10: Gibson for 13 yards to move the chains. Nice play by Brissett to avoid the pressure.
8:06: The Pats win the toss and elect to receive. Offense up first.
8:01: New England’s projected O-line:
RT – Onwenu RG – Robinson C – Leverett LG – Sow LT – Okorafor
8:00: A look at the expected inactives for New England.
7:55: Speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Jerod Mayo notes that Jacoby Brissett will play a “series or two” before turning things over to Drake Maye for the remainder of the first half.
7:50: Not a lot to keep tabs on with Washington. No Jayden Daniels is not a surprise, but still a bummer.
7:35: We’ve finally made it to the final week of preseason action. Patriots-Commanders coming up shortly.
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