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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
NASHVILLE — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has cleared concussion protocol and will start Sunday’s road game against the Tennessee Titans, the team announced Saturday,.
Maye had entered concussion protocol in the second quarter of the Patriots’ 25-22 win over the Jets last Sunday. He was a limited participant in practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, Maye was named the Patriots’ starter in Week 6 after veteran Jacoby Brissett opened the year as the top quarterback. Maye has helped spark what had been a stagnant offense, going 53-of-84 for 564 yards, with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He has added 13 rushes for 114 yards and one touchdown.
It was on an 18-yard scramble late in the first quarter last week, when Maye was going into a slide at the end of the run, that Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood‘s helmet made contact with the back of Maye’s helmet. Maye was slow to get up, but he remained in the game for four more plays.
After Maye came to the sideline following a punt, the NFL’s independent spotter for concussions asked for Maye to be evaluated, according to coach Jerod Mayo. Brissett took over the rest of the game and helped lead the team to a comeback win, with Mayo saying Maye told him at halftime that he had hoped to return in the second half.
Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Thursday that the Patriots don’t want to limit Maye’s running, but stressed awareness to him when he does take off.
“You hate to take that away from a player. That’s a strength of his, the ability to move out of the pocket,” Van Pelt said. “The one thing we talked about was being safe in the slide. Often times you get into space and feel like you’re clean and you can go feet first, which is what we coach in open space. But you never know what’s coming behind. So the quarterbacks that avoid injury often times will find a soft place by going head first and getting down in that regard.
“It’s something we continue to work with, with him – understanding of what’s around you in those situations. But ultimately we go into every game asking him to protect the ball and protect himself. That goes for every quarterback.”
In facing the Titans (1-6), the Patriots (2-6) are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since October of 2022.