Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett to remain starter, says Jerod Mayo - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Friday that Jacoby Brissett remains the team's starting quarterback, praising his toughness despite a flurry of protection breakdowns in Thursday's 24-3 loss to the New York Jets.

Mayo's declaration came a day after he inserted rookie Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, into the game late in the fourth quarter so he could experience his first regular-season action.

«Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he is not the quarterback,» Mayo said Friday morning. «I thought he showed a lot of toughness, a lot of grit.»

Brissett, who finished 12-of-18 for 98 yards, was sacked five times and in-game statisticians charted that he was hit 15 times as the Jets turned to a blitz-heavy approach to exploit the Patriots' short-handed offensive line. In the first three games, he is 42-of-69 for 368 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. The Patriots are 1-2.

Immediately after the game Thursday, Mayo shared his coaching philosophy that every player is always competing for his job, and he said he planned to meet with the coaching staff to discuss the team's quarterback plans.

That includes offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who told reporters Friday that he believes Maye will benefit more from remaining the backup to Brissett at this time.

«I still think it's by watching. I think there's a lot to be learned yet, and that's where I'll stand on that,» Van Pelt said, adding that he's encouraged about Maye's future. «Jacoby is our starter, like Coach said, until that changes, I think we got to do everything we can to get the starter ready to win a game on [Sept. 29 in San Francisco].»

In his one drive, Maye was 4-of-8 for 22 yards and he added two rushes for