The rookie quarterback popped up on New England’s injury report dealing with a hand issue.
Even though he popped up on the injury report this week, Drake Maye will be the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback for their upcoming season finale against the Buffalo Bills.
The first-round rookie was a surprise addition to the Patriots’ injury list due to an issue with his right throwing hand. Despite being limited in practice, however, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt gave a positive update on Maye on Thursday.
“Drake looked good yesterday. He’s ready to go. So, he’ll be starting the game for sure,” Van Pelt said about Maye.
He later added that the intent would be for Maye to play the whole game.
“Excited to get another opportunity,” Van Pelt said. “We talked about more opportunities for him to just continue to grow. This gives him an opportunity to go out and play a team we just played two weeks ago, have a good understanding of what they did in our game, and how well we respond in this game.”
Maye himself had sung a similar tune on Wednesday.
“I’m preparing like I’m the starter. I think I’m going to be the starter, so I’m looking forward to being out there,” he said.
Questions about Maye’s physical readiness have followed him since he briefly exited last Saturday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The 22-year-old was involved in a helmet-to-helmet collision in the first quarter, and went into the medical tent and locker room for a concussion check.
Maye eventually returned to the game, and also did not show any symptoms associated with concussions in the days after the contest. And yet, he found himself listed among New England’s 10 limited participants on Wednesday.
Earlier that day, head coach Jerod Mayo had claimed that Maye would play versus Buffalo under the condition of being “healthy and ready to go.” His injury status added a level of uncertainty in light of that statement, and the Patriots possibly standing to lose the No. 1 overall pick in the draft in case of a win over Buffalo.
However, the team does not appear to be concerned about its draft outlook. Van Pelt was the latest to speak about “playing the game to win the game” on Thursday.
The Patriots’ season finale against the visiting Bills will be kicked off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 5, at Gillette Stadium.