Patriots surprise win should only fuel calls for Drake Maye

The New England Patriots won their first game under new head coach Jerod Mayo, which came as a complete shock and should've been completely predictable. We all knew these last couple seasons under Bill Belichick were a mess, both internally and externally. Freed from that toxic presence, of course the Patriots are born anew.

The Cincinnati Bengals were on the wrong end of a 16-10 scoreboard Sunday afternoon. The Patriots weren't flawless by any stretch, but there is plenty to build on. The offensive line held up well enough. Rhamondre Stevenson put together his best game in ages, and New England's defense was stout front-to-back.

Joe Burrow, allegedly the third-best quarterback in the NFL, looked hapless against that revamped unit. Perhaps we underrated the impact Mayo and new DC DeMarcus Covington might have on New England's capacity to generate stops.

This loss can be chalked up to a variety of issues in Cincinnati — Ja'Marr Chase has been in and out of practice for weeks and the vibes are notoriously sour right now — but in the end, it's a rock-solid effort from New England. The Patriots don't appear as far removed from competence as we initially thought.

Still, there were holes to poke in this New England victory. Primarily at the quarterback position, where Jacoby Brissett completed 15-of-24 passes for 121 yards. He made a few useful scrambles (seven carries for 32 yards), but Brissett just couldn't move the ball through the air. That held the Patriots' offense in check.

If not for a dominant defensive performance (or a particularly bad offensive performance from the Bengals), we wouldn't be talking about New England is such a positive light.

That's why this victory should push the Patriots closer to Drake Maye, not further away.

Patriots Week 1 victory over Bengals sets the stage perfectly for Drake Maye

The argument against starting Drake Maye in Week 1 was simple. Based on last season, we knew the Patriots' offensive line was a mess. The Pats therefore wouldn't be able to establish a run game or protect the quarterback, making life more difficult for the signal-caller of choice.

By letting Brissett take the heat and captain a sinking ship, New England would allow Maye to build confidence in the shadows. It can be hard for even the best prospects to overcome an environment that is counterproductive to player development.

Basically, New England wasn't supposed to be any good, and there's no reason to let Maye toil under untenable circumstances out of the gate. The Patriots are trying to avoid another Mac Jones situation.

The plain truth of the matter is that Maye is drastically more talented than Jones, though, and it seems as though the Patriots are much closer to respectability than initial projections.

Stevenson netted 25 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, averaging a healthy 4.8 yards per carry. He found room to scramble between the tackles and create consistent early-down offense for New England. On the other end, the Pats kept the Bengals in check and set up a sputtering offense to win the day.

What would launch New England to the next level, presumably, is better QB play. Maye is 21 and he will make his share of youthful errors, but he's one of the best prospects to enter the NFL in years — point blank. He's a major talent, built in the classic QB mold with enough mobility to stretch defenses outside the pocket and create explosive throws under duress. In terms of pure arm talent, he may very well be the best QB from a very talented draft at the position.

Maye outplayed Brissett in preseason action and now New England is 1-0, presumably looking to build up positive momentum. Maye is the future of the franchise. That much is certain. If the team is ready to support him, there's no reason to hesitate.

Yes, New England won this game, but they won in spite of Brissett's performance, not because of it. The veteran clearly isn't up to par, so it's time to install the uber-gifted rookie and see what happens. Use Week 1 as a launching point, not a plateau.

New England can always pivot down the road if necessary, but Week 1 was a highly encouraging performance from the perspective of a team trying to platform its talented rookie quarterback. All New England needs is a more potent passing attack. Maye can provide it.