From the moment the Patriots selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick there was an air of inevitability to his ascension to the starting quarterback position. It was a question of when, not if, and there's been excitement surrounding his eventual debut shared by fans and media alike.
In full disclosure, I would put myself strongly in that category. I've been a "Play Maye" guy from the start, even if being fully understanding Jerod Mayo's willingness to show patience with a just-turned-22-year-old quarterback with only 26 college starts under his belt. I understood the reasoning; I just didn't necessarily agree with it.
Given the current state of the offensive line, I now find myself rethinking my stance. David Andrews' shoulder injury suffered in the first quarter of Sunday's 30-13 loss at San Francisco was the main impetus behind the change. Shaky pass protection is one thing but the injuries that are piling up along the offensive line are cause for concern. Putting Maye into that situation may not be the best course to start his on-field development.
This isn't necessarily about fearing injury. That risk exists every time a player steps on the field, and teams can't operate if the top concern is keeping everyone healthy. But there is a strong argument to be made that inserting Maye into the lineup now could be detrimental toward his development. Constant pressure, both physical and mental, is not a great environment to begin a career. Maye would be facing enormous amounts of both – relentless pass rush that includes pressure rates on roughly half of the team's drop backs through four weeks as well as the need to jumpstart of sagging offense.
That's a lot to put on a kid's plate, and with Andrews not there to at least ease the mental burden of ensuring the protections are dialed up properly would only exacerbate the situation.
It might be better to remain patient for another week or two – either to give Andrews some time to regain his health or to allow his replacement, Nick Leverett, more experience playing a position he's still learning after a career at guard. That way Maye might be put into a situation where he can find more success.
It's easy to watch the four games, see the Patriots at the bottom of the NFL pack when it comes to moving the ball and call for change. We all want to see what Maye can do and if things look any different with a more dynamic player at quarterback. But at the same time, it's easy to regret that decision if Maye inevitably collapses under an avalanche of sacks and turnovers.
The idea is for Maye to be the Patriots quarterback of the future, not just against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Being patient until this point has been easy. Now is when Jerod Mayo will have to ignore the noise and hold off a bit longer.
Quarter-ish pole check in
NFL teams like to break the schedule down into quarters, a task that was easier under the old 16-game format. Even though there's now 17 games it's still common to use four-game increments to assess the league, and that's where we stand heading into Week 5.
At first glance there are a few things that stand out. Minnesota is the surprise of the league thus far with a perfect 4-0 mark. The Vikings went into Lambeau and dismantled the Packers en route to a 28-0 lead before a couple of mistakes allowed the home team back into the game.
Minnesota responded when Green Bay crept within 28-22 in the fourth quarter, fashioning an impressive drive to a field goal that put the game away in an eventual 31-29 win. With wins over San Francisco and Houston also on their resume, the Vikings have exceeded all expectations thus far.
Less surprising but no less impressive is Kansas City, albeit for different reasons. The Chiefs are dealing with a variety of injuries on offense, the latest blow coming when leading receiver Rashee Rice went down with what is believed to be a torn ACL. He joins Hollywood Brown and Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve, yet the Chiefs keep doing just enough to win.
Patrick Mahomes hasn't been sharp, throwing five picks in four games, yet the Chiefs have won them all thanks to solid defense, clutch plays in crunch time (like Mahomes' 15-yard hookup with rookie Xavier Worthy to convert a third-and-6 from the KC 8 to close out a 17-10 win over the Chargers) and some good, ole fashioned luck.
Another unlikely success story is that of the Commanders, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels. All the rookie has done is light up the scoreboard to the tune of 80 points over the past two weeks while leading Washington to a 3-1 mark atop the NFC East.
Daniels is completing 82.1 percent of his passes, which is an all-time record through the first four games of a season. That's a record for any quarterback, not just for rookies. He's also rushed for 218 yards and four touchdowns, and the Commanders have won three straight.
On the flip side, few would have predicted the Browns (1-3) and Jaguars (0-4) would have combined for one win. Deshaun Watson doesn't look any more comfortable in the Browns offense than he did a year ago, and Trevor Lawrence hasn't won a start since last November. The Jaguars were 8-3 at that point and winners of seven of their previous eight games. Lawrence had gone 13-3 over a 16-game span, and then it all changed.
Lawrence went down with an ankle injury the following week in a Monday night loss to Cincinnati, and Jacksonville has gone 1-9 since.
Extra points
Could Joe Flacco be ready to do it again? After saving Cleveland's season a year ago coming out of retirement, Flacco was rock solid in leading the Colts to a 27-24 win over the previously unbeaten Steelers. Flacco replaced the injured Anthony Richardson with Indy ahead 7-0, and promptly tossed a pair of touchdown passes while completing 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards. … The season has featured a lot of wild swings from week to week already and perhaps no team illustrated that more than the Jets. After destroying the Patriots in their home opener, New York returned from a 10-day rest and dropped a 10-9 decision at home to Denver. The Broncos won despite passing for 60 yards, largely due to the Jets committing 13 penalties and missing a go-ahead field goal in the final minute. … The Ravens finally put it all together after three previous games of wildly inconsistent play, trouncing the 3-0 Bills 35-10. Derrick Henry seems to be hitting his stride in his first season in Baltimore, romping his way to 199 yards on the ground. Henry didn't appear to be a great fit in the Ravens zone-read scheme but now has 480 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6 yards per carry. Judging from his performance against Buffalo there's still plenty left in Henry's tank.
Power 5
1. Kansas City (4-0) – Luck has definitely been a factor but Mahomes just finds a way.
2. Minnesota (4-0) – Vikings moving up after another impressive showing.
3. Buffalo (3-1) – The Bills ran into a buzz saw Sunday night and the schedule doesn't ease up much.
4. Detroit (3-1) – Lions offense got back in gear Monday night.
5. Baltimore (2-2) – The Ravens were back to their dominant selves against Buffalo.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
