Here are a few final observations from Drake Maye's debut as I kick off another week of Mike's Musings.
The rookie maneuvered well in the pocket while going through his progressions. The feet/lower half may not always mirror his upper half - it should come with more reps - but that he generally kept his eyes up instead of being preoccupied with the flash of colors in front of him was a positive sign (Jacoby Brissett had that knocked out of him by the halfway point of the Jets game). The first-half pressure rate was once again borderline absurd (Next Gen Stats had it at 65%), but for this week, it didn't rattle Maye. Just go back and look at that 2nd-and-9 completion to DeMario Douglas on the first scoring drive. That was good quarterbacking.
Let me begin the campaign for more play action with Maye under center. He only took 12 snaps from that position but was 4-for-4 as a thrower off run action. Included in that was the touchdown to Hunter Henry. Safety Jalen Pitre bit hard, and some of that is definitely on him for being overzealous - he stunk Sunday - but it was a committed fake, professionally executed, leading to an easy pitch and catch. I know there was a reluctance from Alex Van Pelt to do more of this with Brissett because of the line play, and that certainly didn't improve against the Texans, so I get it, trust me. But if you're going to play Maye, you can't call the game scared. His physical abilities can unlock parts of this offense we haven't seen (boot action, for instance). Don't fear the reaper, Alex. Take Drake's hand...
Last thing - if the Jaguars' defensive staff has a brain - and I'm leaning no - I'd attack Maye differently than the Texans did. In fact, I'd go so far as to say Houston didn't attack much at all, content to run some man blitzes at Maye but nothing exotic, no real simulated pressures, no real line games/stunts. I assumed that DeMeco Ryans would put Maye's brain in a blender and test an offensive line that has a) stunk and b) is without their biggest brain (David Andrews). Instead, Ryans trusted his guys to win straight up and the back end to hold up when they didn't. He was right about the former, which helped the latter. The Jags aren't nearly as talented, ergo mix it up.
PRESSURE ON POP
Maye's insertion in the lineup led to a breakout game from Pop. He is the only consistent man-beater in this offense, and he toasted one-on-one coverage with regularity, including on the touchdown. Had his QB been more accurate on a few occasions - a sneaky aspect of Maye's game that hasn't been talked about much - Douglas could have raced past the 100-yard mark (he had 92, the most by a Pats receiver since 2022. Gulp).
But that performance should attract more attention, especially considering the lack of contributions from K.J. Osborn, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Kendrick Bourne, who is not himself yet (never mind Tyquan Thornton). There were some moments last season when Pop got doubled, not because he was that kind of player, but because he was the best of what the Pats had, which is to say, not that much. Now that he's put that game on tape, and it was clear Maye was looking for him, I could see more doubles coming, especially in high-leverage situations. Is he good enough to overcome that? Is anyone else - Kayshon Boutte perhaps - capable of stepping up and making a defense pay for that strategy? And finally, is Maye advanced enough to understand what the opposition is doing and where the answer should be?
HIP HIP HOORAY
Thumbs up for Davon Godchaux. He's playing as well as anyone on the defense right now. Generally, you don't get a lot of counting stats playing on the nose as much as he does, yet Godchaux had a half-dozen run stops on Sunday. He's on pace to log over 100 snaps more than his previous career high, which seems unsustainable given the physicality of the position, but the Pats need him on the field, and so far, he's delivering.
Thumbs up to Keion White. He stopped the undisciplined bullcrap that doesn't need to be a part of his game. The second-year pro is too smart and too talented for that. I had him for a hit and a couple of hurries of C.J. Stroud, plus a more consistent performance against the run.
Thumbs down to the Jones boys, Jonathan and Marcus. They played chase most of the afternoon against the Texans' wide receivers. Part of that is Tank Dell being a damn good receiver when healthy. But part of this is also a reflection on how those two have performed this year, which is to say there's been a decided lack of consistency from game to game, hell, from series to series.
Thumbs down for Raekwon McMillan. The linebacker has been through a lot, injury-wise, throughout his career. But he has been exposed with extended playing time in the absence of Ja'Whaun Bentley. His run fits have been bad - two of the long runs were at least partially on him - and his speed feels lost on the interior. I'd start playing Christian Elliss more, knowing that's not a great option. But you can't have McMillan repeating these physical and mental errors.
Thumbs down to Polk. I wanted him to get more reps and Osborn less at the start of the season. But the things that the rookie did this summer - the mature route running, strong at the catch point - have faded. The drops have been rough - Maye saw him open at one point late in the game and passed him up - and it might be time for a playing time reduction until the message gets across.