On to Cincinnati

Now that was the game many of us were expecting last week against the Eagles following the horrific joint practice the Patriots had with Philadelphia only two days prior to that game. It was a nightmare come true.

I have written the last two weeks that the thing I was most watching in the last two exhibition games has been the play of the offensive line. You don’t have to be Vince Lombardi to have watched last night’s game and come out of it feeling not good. The line was horrendous. Think of the scariest movie you’ve ever seen and last night’s game was the football equivalent of it.

It is inconceivable to me to picture an NFL offensive line playing any poorer than that. You had linemen that didn’t even know how to line up. It was so bad that the lead official, when announcing yet another illegal formation on the Patriots, threw in a “once again.” When do you ever hear an official throw in a dig like that when announcing a penalty.

There were the holding penalties, the false starts, fumbled snaps, pulling linemen running into each other, linemen being shoved back at the snap easier than blocking sleds, and – yet another never been seen before moment by me – a lineman stepping on the quarterback’s foot and removing his shoe.

It was embarrassing. It is something you would expect from a high school that was starting a football program from scratch. It is hard to imagine these guys played college football at a high level and that these are among the best 150 offensive linemen in the world.

It would be one thing if you could argue that New England was sitting their starting offensive line in the final exhibition game, but that would be wrong. The only missing starter would have been center, David Andrews. Lord help the Patriots if he ever goes down.

The Patriots don’t have anyone who can snap the damn ball. Fumbled snaps have plagued the Patriots throughout camp and the issue propped up in a big way Sunday night for the whole country to witness. Again, you could find high school teams that are cleaner with their snaps. It is the most basic football operation.

And don't tell me that the Patriots were also without left tackle Vederian Lowe. I don't view him as a starter so he doesn't count.

If New England has issues snapping the ball under center, maybe the Patriots should go to operating, exclusively, out of the shotgun. Maye played, exclusively, out of the shotgun formation in college so that is where he is most comfortable. Problem solved! Nope. They can’t even execute shotgun snaps. I made fun of the Miami Dolphins last year for botching, at minimum, one shotgun snap per game. I would be happy with the Patriots only botching one shotgun snap. New England might be better off just doing like they do in sandlot football games and hiking the ball from the side. It is not like the centers were any obstacles for the Washington nose tackles anyway.

Maybe the Patriots were playing against Washington’s first string defense, you say. Nope. Washington head coach Dan Quinn listed 35 players as inactive for the game, including his starting defense. The Washington defense was ranked dead last in the NFL last year.

It is all the more impressive that rookie Drake Maye led the team on a touchdown drive on his first series behind this ragtag offensive line. He struggled after, understandably so, but still deserves a medal for orchestrating a touchdown drive with an orchestra of hand me down instruments.

Speaking of Maye, let’s talk about some positives from the game:

Drake Maye

Maye leads the NFL in best plays that didn’t count. He had a stellar long touchdown pass nullified by – you guessed it – an illegal formation penalty on the offensive. The play exemplified everything that makes Maye different from any quarterback the Patriots have ever had. He eluded the pressure and rolled to the left flat where he fired an off-platform throw forty yards to a wide open K.J. Osborne who took the ball the remaining ten yards in for, what would have been, a touchdown. It was Maye at his best – showing off his elusiveness, his creativity, his arm, and his vision.

The other play that also sticks out in my mind was a third down conversion on 3rd-and-14 where he sprinted up the middle for a 17-yard gain. Maye’s dual threat ability has been compared to Josh Allen and this was the first time we got a sniff of it. Breathe it in deep.

It was a moment I’ve seen often with other teams, over the years, having quarterbacks that have the the ability to have long runs to convert first downs. The Patriots never have. Mac Jones, Drew Bledsoe, and, yes, even the great Tom Brady would have had no chance of doing what Maye did on that play.

What seemed like a long shot after the first exhibition game now seems like a real possibility – Drake Maye may be the Patriots’ starting quarterback on Week One. There is no debate that Maye has outperformed Jacoby Brissett the last two games. Brissett, to paraphrase the great Dennis Green, "is what we thought he was"– a serviceable backup NFL quarterback. There is nothing wrong with that. Brissett has made a good living holding a clipboard and wearing an ear piece. He just isn’t a starting caliber NFL quarterback. Drake Maye is, and then some.

To make matters worse for Brissett, it appeared he got hurt on New England’s first possession. He took a hard sack from a defender who came in untouched. Brissett hit the ground hard and when he got up, he was grimacing and holding his left (non-throwing) shoulder. Brissett would come out of the game soon after.

It was hard to gauge the extent of the injury from his early exit as he wasn’t expected to play much anyway – seeing as how he was being viewed by the coaching staff as the starting quarterback entering the season – and, probably, entering this week –and starting quarterbacks, rarely, play in the final exhibition game.

It will be interesting to hear how badly Brissette is hurt. Will it be something minor that will feel better in a couple of weeks? Or will it be something major that may require Brissett to go on IR and be lost for the season?l

If Brissett is good to go, nothing changes in the decision process. Head coach Jerod Mayo said, on his weekly WEEI spot on Monday, that the organization had a plan for Mayo going into camp and the season. He wouldn’t say what that plan was, but he has said all along that Brissett is the starting quarterback. He has also said, all along, that it is an open competition, however. Mayo said Maye’s stellar performance and rapid development has closed the gap and he left open the door that Maye could be the starting quarterback from the get-go. 

If Brissett does need to miss a significant amount of time, Mayo can throw the aforementioned developmental plan out the window. That is when Bailey Zappe comes into the equation.

If Brissett came out of this game healthy, I think Zappe doesn't make the roster. The Patriots would go into the season with Brissett as the starting QB with Maye backing him up, or vice versa. The Patriots can’t risk Joe Milton being claimed on waivers – which I think he, undoubtedly, would – if they released him.

If Brissett is hurt, Zappe makes the roster. Not only does he makes the roster, but he could, very possibly, start Week One. Talk about going from one extreme to the other.

The Patriots will need some sort of veteran leadership at quarterback. I can’t see how the Patriots would feel comfortable going into the season with just Maye and Milton as their quarterbacks, although Mac Jones was the only quarterback on the roster in the week leading up to Jones' rookie season in 2021, if you recall.

If they choose not to keep Zappe, even in that scenario of Brissett being hurt, New England will be looking to add a veteran quarterback from outside the organization. I think Mayo would prefer someone, however, who has been here – someone like Zappe.

Running back situation

Another thing I came out of the game liking was the running back situation. Antonio Gibson comes as advertised. Not only will he provide the Patriots with the receiving back they have longed for ever since James White retired, but he has also shown that he can be an effective first and second down back.

What I was most pleased about is that it looks like the Patriots have good options for that third running back spot. Rookie Terrell Jennings and veteran LaMychal Hasty have shown flashes and I would feel comfortable with either one of them as the third running back. I would give the edge to Jennings as I think he has more upside being a rookie. Hasty hasn’t logged a full season in his career.

I think Kevin Harris may be on the outside looking in – despite having a nice touchdown catch and run last night. He doesn’t have the explosiveness of the other two.

Who is Matt Landers?

The wide receiver situation just got more congested. It was already a tough position to evaluate. Enter 6-foot-4 Matt Landers.

Landers was picked up off waivers this week from Cleveland and he is an intriguing project – even more so after an impressive 34-yard catch and run on an incredible throw from Milton. Landers has the physique and skill set no one else on the Patriots roster has. He is also a legitimate X-receiver who can stretch defenses and has the lanky frame to compete for 50/50 balls. He did go undrafted and was cut by the Browns, so we need to temper our expectations. But he looked good last night.

Tyquan Thornton did nothing to change my mind that he is a fringe player on this team. He had yet another play where he wasn’t on the same page with the quarterback when he ran an in-cut when Maye threw the ball to the sideline. I don’t know who messed up, but I’ve seen Thornton run too many wrong routes not to blame him.

I was confused that I didn’t see Kayshon Boutte play. Was he injured? Has he locked up a spot on the team? Mayo had said going into the game that everyone that was healthy would play. I don’t know what Boutte not seeing the field means.

The D

Let’s give the defense some love. They shut out the Commanders in the first half. They gave up only 17 points in the other two games. I know they haven’t played the greatest of competition, but they can only play against the teams and players that are lined up across from them.

First year defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington looks like he is a pedal-to-the-medal kind of guy. He blitzed safety Joshuah Bledsoe numerous times. Covington has drawn up other schemes which have had quarterbacks running for their lives. It appears to be priority one for Covington to make quarterbacks as uncomfortable in the pocket, as possible. I really like his style.

The kicker situation

I have no clue what the Patriots will do here. I don’t think it really matters. I don’t think Chad Ryland or Joey Slye have really separated themselves and I don’t think there is much difference between the two. My concern with Ryland, obviously, is his head. Have his first year struggles affected his confidence? I think it will be hard for him to overcome.

Slye was put in a tough spot last night as his only two field goal attempts were from 60-plus yards. He missed both – his first and only two missed field goals of the preseason. He also sent one of his kickoffs deep into the end zone – which, with the new kickoff rules, is not ideal.

I still give Slye the edge to win the job. I don’t think the organization trusts Ryland after last year.