With the quarterback competition still going on in New England, Jacoby Brissett was injured and Drake Maye showed his skills in the Patriots’ final exhibition game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.

Brissett got the start against Washington’s reserves and held his own the Patriots announced injured his right shoulder on New England’s first drive of the game. Commanders defensive end KJ Henry ran untouched through the New England backfield and tackled Brissett, pushing his body into the grass.

Brissett grimaced after the hit, but stayed in the game to finish the drive. He threw two more passes before the Patriots scored. When New England’s offense took the field, Maye was quarterback.

How serious is Brissett’s injury?

Meanwhile, cameras captured Brissett clutching his shoulder on the sideline, but it was unclear how much of the decision was injury-related. Head coach Jerod Mayo said before the game that Brissett was expected to play only a series or two.

The Patriots finally announced in the second quarter that Brissett had suffered a right shoulder injury. He was officially listed as questionable to return and remained in protective custody on the sideline the rest of the way, but his night was clearly over.

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said after the game that Brissett would only play a series or two, no matter what. While he didn’t have a specific diagnosis, Mayo sounded confident that Brissett had not suffered any serious injuries. And if it had been a regular-season game, Mayo said Brissett would have been able to continue.

Maye shows arm and athleticism on first drive

Maye’s first drive was his most impressive performance of the preseason. With third-and-14 inside New England’s 10-yard line after a sack, Maye found a crease at the line of scrimmage and broke loose for a 17-yard scramble through a Commanders defense playing to stop a deep pass.

Two plays later, Maye showed off his arm. On second-and-2 from the New England 33-yard line, Maye found fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk on a play-action pass downfield out of reach of Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. The play went for 29 yards and a first down.

Polk was a second-round pick in April and is expected to be one of Maye’s top targets as he takes over the reins of New England’s offense.

Maye completed three more passes during the drive, ending with a swing pass to running back Kevin Harris for an 18-yard touchdown.

Maye finished the drive by completing 5 of 6 passes for 71 yards and the score, plus his 17-yard scramble.

Deep Maye TD recalled due to penalty

Maye finished the first half for New England. The Patriots didn’t score again, but Maye showed his potential with a deep touchdown that was canceled by a penalty when he had a chance in the two-minute drill.

With second-and-10 on Washington’s 48-yard line, Maye escaped pressure and ran left before throwing a deep downfield pass to KJ Osborn, who was wide open near the sideline at the 10-yard line. Osbrone then ran it in for a potential touchdown.

But a formation penalty on left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor nullified the play, a sign of an offensive line that struggled throughout the first half against Washington’s reserves.

Maye finished the first half 13-of-20 passing for 126 yards (6.3 yards per attempt) with a touchdown and no turnovers. He added 17 yards on the ground. He did not return for the start of the second half.

Once again, Maye wasn’t facing NFL starters on defense. But the effort was certainly a confidence booster for a rookie quarterback fresh out of training camp.

Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton finished the rest of the game for the Patriots. The Commanders, behind a 17-point fourth quarter with touchdowns from Michael Wiley and Martavis Bryant, went on to take the 20-10 victory.

Who will be New England’s starting QB in Week 1?

The question now is: Who will start in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals? Maye — the No. 3 pick in April’s draft — is clearly the starter of the future. But there’s a strong argument to keep him on the bench early in his career.

Early reports out of training camp were that Maye was still inexperienced and would benefit from some more experience on the sideline. And there’s no rush in New England. This Patriots team isn’t built to win right now and isn’t expected to come close to contending in the AFC East. It’s an ideal situation to ease a young quarterback into his new role, especially with a seasoned veteran and capable starter in Brissett on the roster.

Mayo has made strides since the start of training camp, including Sunday’s game and a pre-season 2 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in which Mayo received plenty of praise.

If Brissett is truly injured, that obviously changes the calculus of Mayo’s decision. The preseason is over, and the Patriots have two weeks off from competition before their season opener on Sept. 8 — a period during which Mayo will name a starting quarterback. Mayo called Maye the “second-best quarterback” on their roster right now after Sunday’s game, which gives a clear idea of ​​where he’s headed.

The question in the meantime is not so much whether Maye deserves a starting spot, but whether he should start so early in his career or spend more time developing from the bench.