What We Learned From Patriots Thursday Night Loss

FOXBOROUGH, MA — In the first Patriots roundup of the new season we posed three big questions. Two of them were answered on Thursday night when the Patriots got trounced by the New York Jets, but neither was particularly positive.

The big one first: Drake Maye's first appearance in a regular season NFL game came in Week 3 during the fourth quarter of Thursday night football. Maye led the team down the field, but did so behind an offensive line that had previously allowed seven sacks after after avoiding an interception by the skin of his teeth.

The second question may determine when we see Maye next. We asked if there are any pillars on this Patriots offensive line. The answer, at least for Thursday, is not really.

Again, Jacoby Brissett took seven sacks in the game. It's likely that the Patriots will be putting in an express order for more ice this weekend.

Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald noted that the line allowed 22 pressures on 35 dropbacks. Game script largely put the running game on the back burner, allowing Jets pass rushers to pin their ears back and expose a unit that had many questions coming into the year.

"We're going to work and we're going to try to do everything better," said veteran center David Andrews. "That's not sustainable and it's not winning football."

So what happens next?

Head coach Jerod Mayo said there's evaluation every single week about who the starting quarterback could be, and was noncommital about naming one for Week 4.

In the days that follow, two schools of thought will emerge:

1. Does starting Drake Maye provide him an opportunity to develop his schools and acclimate to the NFL game.

2. Will starting Maye cause him to form bad habits as he tries to compensate for a banged up and below average offensive line.

This Patriots season was always going to be one defined by the answers to a few important questions for the franchise. Week 4 will provide another answer and insight into Mayo's thought process.