Jacoby Brissett of the Patriots apparently suffered an injury in the game against the Commanders

The New England Patriots may be without their starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett after he was injured in a hard tackle in the first quarter of their final preseason game against the Washington Commanders and was benched early in the first quarter. On just the sixth play of the game, KJ Henry, a backup defensive end, was unblocked on the right side of the Patriots' offensive line and secured the seven-yard sack. Brissett finished the drive but did not return. A tweet from Adam Schefter showed the play, reporting Brissett's injury.

Patriots first-round pick Drake Maye came on the next series. To disrupt that attack, Maye broke through the defense and turned a third-and-14 attempt into a first down thanks to a timely 17-yard run into the open field.

He later threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Harris.

Maye has already delivered impressive moments in the preseason. In the Patriots' first preseason game, a 17-3 win over the Eagles, Maye ran into the end zone and scored a four-yard touchdown that thrilled New England fans.

Does Jacoby Brissett's injury mean Drake Maye is the Patriots' QB1?

Brissett has maintained his message to the Patriots media throughout the preseason. He works hard and this isn't his first attempt to secure the team's number 1 quarterback position.

“I can't worry about that,” Brissett said. “I just go out there and do my job. I've been in this league long enough and a lot of crazy things have happened in my career so far and nothing would shock me. But at the same time, I'm enjoying this process, doing my best and just letting things go as they go. … I'm not really worried about the competition.”

Alex Van Pelt, the Patriots' offensive coordinator, had high praise for the rookie, via Zack Cox of the Boston Herald.

“(Maye has) progressed every day, and that's the most important thing,” Van Pelt said. “There's no going back. He takes what he's learned from previous practices and applies it to the next practice. He's been really impressive, especially the last few weeks.”

With not much at stake in what most believe will be a punt year for the Patriots franchise, the temptation is to let Maye learn, take over the position and be promoted on the sidelines. Unfortunately, this seemingly logical approach ignores what Maye does every time he's on the field.

Ultimately, Maye is the perfect teammate and shows his appreciation for Brissett, who mentored him during the offseason and training camp.

“You know, I'm just going to take my opportunities. I think Jacoby (Brissett) has done a great job, he's a great player, a great teammate,” Maye said. “He's been playing with the ones all the time, so I'm happy for him and just try to take advantage of the reps that I get as best as I can and when I'm in it, I try to have a little fun.”