Patriots fans react as Drake Maye makes debut against Jets: "Looked absolutely horrific"

Drake Maye got his first introduction to the NFL as a New England Patriots quarterback in a divisional matchup against the New York Jets. However, he was not there to be a savior. New York was leading New England by a score of 24-3 and Jerod Mayo decided to pull starter Jacoby Brissett and save him for upcoming games. It gave the rookie a chance to enter the game and show what he could do in the future.

Unfortunately for him, Drake Maye did no better than the veteran quarterback against a dominant Jets defense. He just completed four of his eight passes for just 22 yards. His average of 2.8 yards per attempt indicates him playing safe. In the short time he was there, he was sacked twice as he failed to adequately identify pressure and finished with a passer rating of 56.2.

Fans immediately took to X/Twitter to lambast Maye for his performance:

Others continued to pile on the young quarterback with their judgments on him after four minutes of his first professional football game behind a leaky offensive line that could not protect veteran Jacoby Brissett before him:

"Sorry but Drake Maye genuinely looks horrible lol prob a bust," one fan said.

"Drake Maye, may stink, but he’s already showing us that Brissett was not the problem. The offensive line is horrible," another fan said.

"Drake Maye looks actually horrible he needs to sit all season," one fan added.

Drake Maye joins other rookies struggling in the NFL

Drake Maye did not have enough time to judge him properly. One could also add mitigating factors such as an offensive line that struggled throughout the night and the fact that he did not get to prepare against this defense as a starter. But his struggles highlighted how tough it is for rookies in the NFL.

This was the first game of Week 3 and we have had first-round quarterback picks like Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Bo Nix all see the field. None of them have managed to record a single passing touchdown between them.

J.J. McCarthy's injury has made him unavailable but with Sam Darnold playing the way he is, it is tough to make the case that the starter in Minnesota should be replaced anytime soon. Michael Penix Jr. is behind Kirk Cousins on the depth chart.

It is perhaps too soon to judge anyone's career going forward. However, their performances and the fans' reactions to them show how big the step up is in terms of quality and expectations from college football to the NFL.