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The New England Patriots came out with a surprising 25-22 upset win over the New York Jets on Sunday, but Jerod Mayo expressed frustration over the play that injured Drake May.
Mayo was confused as to why there wasn't a penalty on Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood for his hit to Maye's head in the first quarter.
“They didn't call it. I had conversations with them the entire game,” Mayo said when asked on whether he was surprised over the lack of penalty on the play. “I thought some of those calls were questionable. At the same time, I have to go back and watch the film. We'll have those conversations.”
The play Maye was injured on was a bit unusual for a quarterback. He took off and ran for an 18-yard gain, breaking tackles on the run before beginning to slide. As he begun his slide, Sherwood came in and led with his head on a hit to Maye's head.
Here’s that hit Drake Maye took to the head.#Patriots pic.twitter.com/R1EL4B0L7a
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) October 27, 2024
Maye remained in the game for four more plays after the hit. However, he went to the blue medical tent when the Patriots' drive ended. As the Jets moved down the field for a touchdown on the ensuing possession, Maye eventually went back to the locker room.
Mayo shared before halftime that Maye was out for the remainder of the game, but he was able to catch up with the rookie during the break.
“I walked in at halftime and saw him,” Mayo said. “The competitor that he is, obviously he wanted to go back out there and play. But there's a protocol that he has to go through. Again, can't wait to get him back.”
How others felt about hit that knocked Patriots' Drake Maye out from loss vs. Jets
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No Patriots players spoke about the play that knocked Maye out of Sunday's game on the record. However, the team seemed pretty upset over the lack of a penalty on the play.
“Multiple Patriots representatives in the late afternoon hours at Gillette Stadium were hot that there was no penalty called on that particular play when you had the helmet-to-helmet hit from Jamien Sherwood on the back of Drake Maye's helmet,” NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry said. “I didn't get the word, ‘dirty,' but I did get [people saying] that should've been a 15-yard penalty when they see their quarterback knocked out of the game.”
Sherwood defended his actions on the hit he delivered to Maye.
“All I did was just rally to the ball,” Sherwood told NESN.com's Sean McGuire. “He slid. I did my best to keep him safe, go over top of him. I think my shoulder might have hit him in the head, but I hope he’s OK.”
Prior to the hit, Maye had a pretty solid first quarter. He only threw for 23 yards but rushed for a 20-yard touchdown and had 46 rushing yards. Even though Maye didn't finish the game, he got credited with his first NFL win because he started on Sunday.
The Patriots will hope to give Maye a second career win next week. They take on the Tennessee Titans, but it's unclear if Maye will be out of concussion protocol by then.
