The New England Patriots enter their season finale holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. A loss to the Buffalo Bills’ backups on Sunday would lock them into that selection.

For the Patriots, however, they are operating the week with a winning mindset — meaning starting quarterback Drake Maye is set to open the game behind center.

“Drake looked good yesterday. He’s ready to go,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Thursday. “He’ll be starting the game, for sure.”

When asked if Maye will play the entirety of Sunday’s game, Van Pelt responded, “We’re playing the game to win the game, for sure. We’ll see how it goes from that point, but yes, that’s the intent.”

If Maye’s day does end prematurely, however, the door could be open for fellow rookie quarterback Joe Milton III to see his first game-action this season. The sixth-round pick has spent the previous 17 weeks as the team’s emergency third quarterback, meaning he can’t enter the game unless Maye and backup Jacoby Brissett left the game due to injury.

The 24-year old has received plenty of praise for his work on the practice fields running the scout team throughout the season. Milton’s practice workload then saw a change on Wednesday as he saw his first reps with the starting offense mixing in with Maye, who appeared on the Patriots’ Wednesday injury report with a right hand injury.

“I think he’s done a great job all year,” Van Pelt said of Milton. “The stuff that he does on scout team has been impressive. His ability to throw the ball. You know, he’s an elite passer in that regard. We’ll see. We have all three guys ready to go. We’ll make that decision later in the week, but if he does get in there, I’m excited to see what he can do.”

Selected 193rd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Milton has not taken any live snaps since the preseason, where he completed 11-of-30 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown to pair with 54 yards on the ground.

The big-armed quarterback is the lone offensive rookie not to play a snap this season. With one game left in the season, New England may feel it’s best to get a live game look at the quarterback, especially with Brissett slated to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason.