The Patriots got good news en route to Nashville for Sunday's game vs. the Titans: rookie QB Drake Maye has cleared concussion protocol and is in line to start on Sunday in Tennessee.
Maye suffered a head injury in last week's win over the Jets. The rookie quarterback exited the Week 8 victory in the second quarter after taking a hit to the back of the helmet on an 18-yard scramble. Maye remained in the game for four more plays but was pulled and did not return. Backup QB Jacoby Brissett then led the Pats to a comeback win after Maye left the game.
During the practice week, Maye was limited in all three sessions leading up to Sunday's contest with the Titans. On Wednesday, it appeared that Maye was in phase three of five phases in the NFL's concussion protocol when head coach Jerod Mayo stated that Maye wouldn't practice for more than 30 minutes. Then, on Thursday and Friday, Maye appeared to ramp up his practice participation when he was spotted during the media-access portion of practice on both days. Without any setbacks, the final hurdle was for Maye to be cleared by team doctors and the independent neurological consultant.
Now, Maye is fully cleared and is good to go for Sunday. In his final press conference this week, Coach Mayo indicated that Maye would start if he clears protocol, so the assumption is that'll be the case now that he was removed from the injury report.
"Once he gets out of the protocol, I think we feel once he's been cleared by the medical professionals, he'll be ready to go," Coach Mayo said on Friday.
It'll be interesting to see Maye's level of preparation for a matchup against a sneaky-good Titans defense. Despite their record, Tennessee has a solid defense, ranking ninth in total DVOA (12th vs. the pass). Under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, the Titans run a spin-the-dial defense where they play a variety of coverages and fronts. Mentally, it's a challenging matchup for a young quarterback, so it would be a good litmus test to see where Maye is in that regard, especially with a wonky practice week in concussion protocol.
Still, we're all clamoring to see Maye continue his development after showing well in his first three starts. The third-overall pick has flashed playmaking ability with his arm and legs while being further along operating within the scheme than some anticipated. From this perspective, the most impressive aspect is how well Maye has read defenses and gone through progressions. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt agreed with that assessment.
"Drake's just getting better every week," Van Pelt said this week. "Decision making is exceptional. He knows where to go with the football. Some of the stuff he doesn't practice, understanding where he's going to be hot and how to handle some of the pressure issues. That gets better every week."
Along with Maye making the trip, the Patriots didn't downgrade any of their other seven questionable players. That means players such as S Kyle Dugger (ankle), T Vederian Lowe (shoulder/ankle), LB Christian Elliss (abdomen), and DT Jaquelin Roy (neck) all made the trip. Hopefully, they're trending toward playing as well on Sunday.
Lastly, the Patriots have until 4 p.m. ET to elevate players from the practice squad or activate CB Alex Austin (ankle) from injured reserve. From this perspective, it's unlikely that New England will elevate anyone from the practice squad after signing LB Ochaun Mathis to the 53-man roster following the Joshua Uche trade earlier this week. Austin being activated is anyone's guess, but Marco Wilson has filled the rotational CB role well alongside top CB Christian Gonzalez and the Joneses. We'll update you later in the day if New England makes any moves.
The health of the Patriots roster is moving in a positive direction as they go for their first two-game winning streak since the 2022 season against the Titans on Sunday.
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