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The New England Patriots fell to 1-3 in the 2024 NFL season after a 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett ultimately finished 19-of-32 passing for 168 yards with a touchdown and interception in the losing effort.
But there were scores of frustrated Patriots fans on social media calling for him to be replaced by backup Drake Maye, the organization's third overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski, who spent nine years in New England and won three Super Bowls, cautioned against overreacting during the Fox halftime show. In his mind, putting Maye in wouldn't yield any dramatically different results, via the New England Sports Network.
“New England Patriots fans, I know what you're saying. ‘Put Drake Maye in, this offense needs a spark,'” Gronkowski said. “But I'm telling you, it will be the same old story with Drake Maye in if he replaces Jacoby Brissett. He'll be getting sacked. The offensive line will be letting guys go through, putting pressure on him. You don't want to ruin his confidence. Wait until at least Week 12.”
Nevertheless, fans are likely to stay uneasy until New England's performance on the field turns around.
Drake May has played sparingly behind Jacoby Brissett
Maye, who was taken with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Patriots out of North Carolina, has played exactly 4:28 worth of time at the NFL level. He briefly replaced Brissett under center and was sacked twice while racking up 22 yards on 4-of-8 passing.
Meanwhile, Brissett's afternoon wasn't much easier against the 49ers, as he was sacked six times, lost a fumble, and threw a pick-six as part of the Patriots setback.
Regardless of who starts for the Patriots in Week 5 of the schedule, they'll be taking on the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium; game time is set for 1:00 PM EST.
