The New England Patriots’ passing game has struggled to get going this season with veteran Jacoby Brissett at the helm.
Another poor performance in the air has increased questions about when the Patriots will let rookie Drake Maye take over the offense.
Brissett did not pass for 200 yards for the fourth game in a row, threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, lost a fumble, and was sacked six times in a 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. This game added to the troubles of New England’s offense.
“I understand the product isn’t what we want right now,” Brissett said. “But we’re still in the process of figuring out how to make the best product. We can do that.”
However, this improvement hasn’t happened yet, especially against a weakened Niners defense that was allowing the third-most yards per play in the NFL.
Rhamondre Stevenson lost a fumble for New England (1-3) on the second drive of the game—his fourth straight game with a fumble. Brissett then threw a pick-six to Fred Warner on the next drive, putting the Patriots in a 13-0 hole they could not escape.
“We kind of really beat ourselves,” Brissett said. “We get it going, and then something happens. Honestly, we’re not good enough to hurt ourselves and the defense.”
The Patriots managed to score three times, with two touchdowns coming from drives that started in San Francisco’s territory, as the offense has struggled to create long drives all season. New England’s only touchdown in the past two games was a 27-yard drive after a fumbled kickoff.
New England is currently last in the NFL in total offense and passing offense, and second-to-last in points per game, with Brissett starting all four weeks.
