Patriots fans experienced a brutal start to Week 3 when New England was pantsed in primetime against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Thursday.
Unfortunately for the Foxboro Faithful, the conclusion of the league's slate didn't present signs of optimism either.
Patriots fans who watched the doubleheader Monday night saw Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills dismantle the Jacksonville Jaguars. They also saw Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, selected one pick before Drake Maye, have a historic primetime debut against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Daniels (21-for-23, 254 yards, two passing touchdowns) set an NFL record for the highest completion percentage (91.3%) ever by a rookie. The LSU product had more total touchdowns (three) than incompletions. Washington did not punt the ball against Cincinnati, marking the second consecutive game Daniels' offense scored on every drive except kneel downs or end-of-half situations.
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Daniels is the betting favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, and it's not an exaggeration to say he's one of the league's biggest storylines heading into Week 4.
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Daniels' impressive start might have the Patriots organization, and New England fans, feeling a bit uneasy. Second guesses will swirl if Daniels continues on this trajectory.
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Among them: Did the Patriots miss out on the best quarterback in the class? Should they have tried harder to trade up with Washington? What if former Patriots kicker Chad Ryland missed that kick on Christmas Eve?
Maye has spent 235-plus regular-season minutes holding a clipboard on the Patriots' sideline. The North Carolina product made his NFL debut with four-plus minutes left in Thursday's game against the Jets. He completed four of his eight passes, got sacked twice behind New England's terrible offensive line and nearly threw an interception on his first professional pass.
This isn't to say the Patriots should rush Maye onto the field because of Daniels. New England's decision to let Maye develop behind the scenes and not put him behind a poor offensive line is the right decision to this point. Given what the Patriots have around Maye, there's a strong chance he would regress if thrust into action.
Maybe we look back after the season -- or four years down the road -- and confidently say the Patriots drafted their franchise quarterback. Perhaps Maye even jumps the surging Daniels and struggling Caleb Williams and looks like the best quarterback in the class. That could very well happen as Maye already has shown improvement and a high ceiling.
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But Daniels' impressive start and Maye's lack of opportunity nevertheless might have Patriots fans a bit anxious three weeks into the season.
Featured image via Katie Stratman/Imagn Images
