Saturday’s game vs. the Los Angeles Chargers couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start for the New England Patriots.
Their prized rookie quarterback Drake Maye took a helmet-to-helmet hit while scrambling near the sideline just five minutes into the first quarter. He briefly went under the blue medical tent before exiting the field to the locker room.
New England initially ruled Maye questionable to return due to a head injury. Veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett replaced the third-overall draft pick on the Patriots’ next offensive drive, but Maye was cleared to return in the second quarter.
Maye suffered a concussion during the Patriots’ Week 8 win over the New York Jets. That’s a big reason the coaching staff was hesitant to call designed runs for its mobile QB. Last week, however, New England called multiple designed runs for Maye for the first time all season.
Even without designed runs in the playbook, Maye entered Saturday’s game with 389 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries. As effective as he’s been in the ground game, Pats fans will continue to hold their breath whenever the 22-year-old takes off running.
