One Drake Maye stat shows why Jerod Mayo needs to bench Jacoby Brissett for good

The New England Patriots were curb stomped in Thursday's 24-3 loss to the New York Jets. It was easily the worst this Patriots team has looked to date — and the most in line with preseason expectations.

After a couple solid performances to open the campaign, all of our New England skepticism was justified on prime time Thursday Night Football. The offensive line was a sieve. Jacoby Brissett spent pretty much the entire game under pressure, taking major hits in the backfield or barely escaping would-be tacklers to deliver the football several yards short of his intended receiver.

Brissett finished the game completing 12 of 18 passes for 98 yards. He took five sacks for a loss of 46 yards. We can't even really blame Brissett. He had no time to process the field or load up for throws. Even the best quarterbacks would struggle with the pocket collapsing play, after play, after play.

New York's defense deserves a ton of credit and the Patriots' offense — well, it needs some work. So dire was New England's offense on Thursday night that Jerod Mayo decided to debut Drake Maye late in the game. He yanked Brissett in favor of Maye for the final 4:24 of the fourth quarter.

The rookie had time for a single drive, which ended with a sack in the red zone as time expired. Maye's performance wasn't exactly revelatory — four of eight passes completed for 22 yards, with two sacks for a loss of13 yards — but it was enough to eat up roughly four minutes of game time. Somehow, that also constituted 31 percent of total snaps for the Patriots offense.

Wild Drake Maye stat proves just how bad Patriots offense was on TNF

Brissett and the Patriots' offense simply could not move the chains all night. Aside from a second quarter field goal, New England was never really in scoring position until Maye's last-second, ill-fated drive. Again, we can't really blame Brissett for the bulk of New England's issues, but he has not been moving the chains prolifically this season. The Patriots' offense has been rooted in a highly effective run game, which feels increasingly like a mirage after how poorly the O-line performed on Thursday.

He is sure to have his warts as a rookie quarterback, but Maye is a special talent. He has a live arm, more mobility than he gets credit for, and a certain boldness to his approach that the New England offense presently lacks. You can never bank on 21-year-old quarterbacks performing in the NFL, but odds are Maye gives the Patriots offense a more explosive element than Brissett currently does.

That said, there is a valid argument for keeping Maye far, far away from the starting job this season. Mayo has already confirmed that Brissett will start again in Week 4. It's not the most exciting move for New England fans, but it could be the smartest. Brissett is not an elite quarterback and New England's offense is probably going to underperform all season. That last bit is exactly why Maye isn't in the driver's seat yet.

New England's offensive line probably couldn't stop a motivated tree sloth on Thursday. Brissett took five sacks — not because he held the ball too long, but because the pocket would collapse before he had a chance to read the field. It's impossible to build good habits in your rookie QB if he's under constant duress, never afforded the stability to build up confidence or rhythm.

If the Patriots decide to roll with Maye at some point, there will need to be legitimate confidence in the team's ability to hold up around him. We don't want another Mac Jones situation. Maye is a much better prospect than Jones ever was, but if Maye is pummeled every week and rushed into silly turnovers on a regular basis, it will be hard to dig himself out of that hole. Even if the roster improves in subsequent seasons.

Maye has looked better than Brissett since Week 1 of the preseason, heck, since training camp. It's important to recognize that sheer ability is not the only factor guiding the Patriots' QB decision, though. You can argue that Maye should start in a vacuum, but consider the team context and the potential consequences first.