The New England Patriots picked up a thrilling win over their AFC East rivals on Sunday, but the victory over the Jets came at a cost as rookie QB Drake Maye exited the contest with a concussion and did not return.
The injury is believed to have occurred late in the first quarter following an 18 yard Maye run. As Maye slid, Jets LB Jamien Sherwood appears to have made contact with the former Tar Heel’s helmet.
“I walked in at halftime and saw him,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said. “The competitor that he is, obviously he wanted to go back out there and play. But there’s a protocol that he has to go through. Can’t wait to get him back.”
In his absence, former starter Jacoby Brissett went 15/24 for 132 yards, including a game winning drive to go ahead with less than a minute remaining to stun the favoured Jets 25-22.
“You never want to see a player go down. Obviously hoping Drake gets back,” Brissett told reporters. “We got a challenge earlier this week. The guys came out and responded well.”
With the victory the Patriots leapfrog the Jets to put New York in the basement of the AFC East standings at 2-6. Despite making a blockbuster trade to acquire WR Davante Adams earlier this month, New York has now dropped 5 straight games and could be headed towards a complete teardown this offseason.
Maye will now have a week to clear the NFL’s concussion protocols before the team travels to Tennessee to take on the Titans in a 1pm showdown on November 3rd.
Photo: Brian McDermott. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.