The New England Patriots have momentum heading into Sunday's showdown vs. the Tennessee Titans, but they may not have their prized rookie quarterback.
Drake Maye exited the team's Week 8 win over the New York Jets in the second quarter due to a concussion. The 22-year-old will need to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol before returning to the field.
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That means veteran QB Jacoby Brissett, who started the Patriots' first five games of the season, could be back under center for Sunday's game in Nashville. Brissett propelled New England to its 25-22 victory over New York, but the offense struggled mightily with him at the helm earlier in the campaign.
Do the Patriots' chances of beating the Titans take a significant hit if Brissett is at QB? Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal and Taylor Kyles of CLNS Media discussed the topic on Thursday's Early Edition.
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"No, I think they have a chance to win (with Brissett)," Giardi said. "Carolina and Tennessee probably right now are playing the two worst brands of football in the National Football League.
"Granted, you weren't too far removed from being there, but you have some positive momentum that you can build on if you're the Patriots. I think Tennessee is a complete crapshow right now. So there's an opportunity for sure."
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The Titans enter Week 9 with a 1-6 record, their lone win coming against the Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins on Sept. 30. They recently benched their second-year QB Will Levis in favor of Mason Rudolph. On Oct. 23, they traded star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Their offense may be even more dysfunctional than the Patriots', but Kyles warns that Tennessee's defense could give New England trouble -- especially with Brissett at QB.
"I always have respect for the Titans defense. They've still got a lot of talent," Kyles said. "If you look at the metrics, they're still very competitive. (Defensive tackle) Jeffery Simmons is a man you do not want to mess with. They have (cornerback) L'Jarius Sneed.
"And I just feel like as good as Jacoby was last week -- I want to give him credit and maybe if he does have to start, he continues to build on that. But we know the offense feels a lot less explosive and it feels like it's just a little more constricted with Jacoby Brissett back there. The Patriots have been scoring 20 points with Drake Maye or at least getting to the point where you feel like, 'Woah, they can score at will when they really need to.' So I'm not nearly as confident if it is Jacoby because Drake Maye's so dynamic, but I do think they have a chance."
The good news for the Patriots is it sounds like Maye has a real chance to suit up on Sunday. The third-overall draft pick has been a limited participant in practice this week, but his workload appeared to increase during Thursday's session.
He'll have two more days to clear concussion protocol, otherwise it'll be on Brissett to lead New England to its third win of the season.
Sunday's game is set for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Nissan Stadium.
