Drake Maye makes QB debut as Bill Belichick-less Patriots beat Panthers 17-3 in preseason game
Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, played one series in his debut with New England on Thursday night, and the Patriots played their first game in 24 years without Bill Belichick as coach, beating the Carolina Panthers 17-3 in a preseason game
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, played one series in his debut with New England on Thursday night, and the Patriots played their first game in 24 years without Bill Belichick as coach, beating the Carolina Panthers 17-3 in a preseason game.
New England’s new coach, 38-year-old Jerod Mayo, dressed in a white short-sleeved Patriots’ pullover, became the NFL’s youngest coach when he was hired on Jan. 12, one day after Belichick agreed to depart as coach and left the organization.
It was the first time since Jan. 2, 2000, that the Patriots played without Belichick on the sideline. He led them to six Super Bowl titles.
“That was always the plan,” Mayo said of Maye's short stint. “The plan was to get him in there for one series.”
