Brissett to start, but all Patriots quarterbacks will play in preseason finale
FOXBORO -- The Patriots are still rolling with four quarterbacks, and Jerod Mayo said all of his quarterbacks will see action in Sunday night's preseason finale against the Washington Commanders.
Jacoby Brissett will once again start for New England, Mayo revealed ahead of Friday's final practice of the week in Foxboro. Then Drake Maye, Joe Milton, and Bailey Zappe will all get their snaps as the Patriots close out their exhibition slate in Maryland.
(Mayo curiously didn't mention Zappe by name at first, but he was also trying to get out a joke to reporters with his response so it may have just been an oversite on his part. He added that "Zappe will play" when a reporter followed up.)
Brissett got three series last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, after playing just one series in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. For the preseason, Brissett is 3-for-10 with an interception, which he threw in the red zone last week against the Eagles.
Maye started to take a limited number of snaps with New England's top offensive line this week in practice, so we'll see how much run he gets with that group -- if any -- on Sunday night. The rookie got four series against Philadelphia last week after replacing Brissett, and helped the Patriots put points on the board in his first two drives. After leading New England to a field goal on his first drive, where he came through with a nice third-and-5 conversion to fellow rookie Javon Baker, Maye finished off a 49-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. For the preseason, Maye has completed eight of his 14 passes for 66 yards with 15 rushing yards on four carries.
Milton played three series in the second half last week, while Zappe only saw action in New England's final drive of the game.
While it sounds like Brissett will ultimately begin the season as New England's starting quarterback when Week 1 against the Bengals arrives, the team may be holding out from giving him that official title just in case Maye really plays out on Sunday. But with a difficult schedule to begin the season and a lot of uncertainty along the offensive line, it's probably better for the Patriots to turn to the veteran rather than a rookie with zero NFL experience.
On Friday, Mayo discussed what he looks for most in a quarterback.
"To me, the top two things are mental toughness and just competitiveness. Those are two qualities I look at with quarterbacks," said Mayo. "I don't get into the technical stuff. The quarterback has to be mentally tough and bounce back from the adversity they see."
When asked a follow-up, Mayo said that he has been impressed with Maye's evolution on that front this summer.
"Early on he would throw interceptions and get down on himself. He's done a better job pulling the nose up on the plane, and I think that's a good quality," said Mayo.
While the Patriots plan to play all four of their quarterbacks, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced Friday that Washington will not be playing rookie QB Jayden Daniels on Sunday night.
After the Patriots wrap up their preseason against the Commanders on Sunday night, be sure to switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!