The New England Patriots have fallen to 1-4 on the season after dropping their fourth consecutive game on Sunday in a 15-10 defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. As has been the case for the past few weeks following these defeats, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo was peppered with questions regarding his quarterback situation as folks wonder if/when he'll make the change from veteran Jacoby Brissett to rookie Drake Maye.
Unlike in previous weeks, Mayo did seem to strike a different tone when speaking to reporters on Monday.
"Every single day, we are all being evaluated, and it's no different now," Mayo said when asked about his quarterback room and a possible change. This is quite a stark difference from previous answers. For instance, this time last week, when Mayo was asked about a possible quarterback change, he said, "Jacoby is 100% our starter."
While it's unclear if a change is imminent, it could be an early indication that Maye's ascension could be on the horizon, particularly if the offense continues to struggle with Brissett under center. In the loss to Miami on Sunday, New England mustered just 10 points while Brissett completed 18 of his 34 passes for 160 yards.
"It just wasn't good enough," Mayo said when asked about Brissett's performance against Miami. "I thought we played well enough defensively and on special teams to win the football game. Look, as the quarterback -- and he understands this -- he touches the ball on every single play, and we didn't win the game or score enough points to win the game. I think he would echo that same sentiment that it wasn't good enough."
Of course, seeing other rookie quarterbacks excel across the league, like Jayden Daniels in Washington and Caleb Williams in Chicago, does apply more external pressure on the Patriots to see what they have in their young signal-caller, but Mayo did echo that each circumstance is different.
"I would say each situation is unique," Mayo said. "It's natural for fans and for the media to say, 'Well, we have a good quarterback waiting in the wings as well.' But at the same time, our mentality is how do we develop [Maye], how do we get the guys on the field around him to develop, and move forward from there."
The Patriots host the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Sunday in Week 6 before heading to London to face the Jaguars in Week 7.