Alex Van Pelt Sticks Up For Jacoby Brissett For This Criticism

Heading into Sunday's final preseason contest with the Washington Commanders, the New England Patriots still has not revealed who the Week 1 starter will be -- Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye.

Brissett has just three completions for 17 yards in two preseason games, while Maye has completed eight of his 14 pass attempts for 66 yards.

Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt told reporters after practice at Gillette Stadium on Thursday that New England has not lost confidence in Brissett, regardless of what has transpired in two preseason games.

"It looks different sometimes than what you see," Van Pelt said, per team video. "Things happen differently in the game. We had a route (against Philadelphia) that wasn't run correctly before the interception that would have hopefully walked into the end zone for us, and we're not even talking about it right now.

"Things come up in the course of a game. … it's a matter of inches. It's a matter of everybody being on the same page and doing the right thing all the time, but he's a solid guy. He's a solid leader. He puts the work in. He's been great with Drake and the other quarterbacks in the room from a mentor standpoint. Real happy with what he's done for us."

Jerod Mayo said the Patriots will look for mechanics from the quarterbacks in the preseason finale before deciding early next week who will get the nod for the opener on Sept. 8.

"I would say by Monday night, we should know who the quarterback is," Mayo said on Wednesday. "A Sunday night game, it's always hard to really crank through the film, especially on the road. But, I think Monday, Tuesday, you probably need to know who it is. Now, that doesn't mean I'll tell you on Monday or Tuesday."