Drake Maye expected to see a lot of action Thursday night vs. Eagles
FOXBORO -- After making just a brief appearance in the Patriots' preseason opener last week, rookie quarterback Drake Maye is expected to get a good amount of playing time in Thursday night's exhibition tilt against the Eagles at Gillette Stadium.
Maye played just one series against the Panthers and was on the field for just six snaps (plus a penalty) last week. According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, Maye will get an entire quarter to himself -- plus a little more -- in preseason game No. 2.
Veteran Jacoby Brissett will start for New England and play roughly a quarter. Maye will then take over for the second quarter and play into the third, according to Breer. After Maye departs, Joe Milton III -- whom New England drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft after taking Maye third overall -- will get the rest of the third and play into the fourth. Bailey Zappe will finish the game for the Patriots, per Breer's report.
Brissett is New England's projected Week 1 starter and got the first series of last week's win over the Panthers. He was 0-for-3 as the Patriots' offense started the game with a three-and-out.
Maye then took over and went 2-for-3 for 19 yards during his six snaps. The Patriots picked up a first down on the series, but the drive ended with a New England punt.
Zappe got the bulk of the action last week, going 12-for-20 for 108 yards over his 36 snaps. But it was Milton who gave the game a much-needed jolt, as the rookie completed four of his six passes for 54 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown pass. He also ran for 22 yards on five scrambles.
After the Patriots are done with the Eagles, they'll have one more preseason game left: Sunday, August 8 at Washington.
Tune in to Thursday's Patriots-Eagles preseason game on WBZ-TV -- your home of the New England Patriots! Pregame coverage begins at 6:30pm with Patriots GameDay, kickoff is set for just after 7pm, and after the game stick around for Patriots 5th Quarter!