Maye has good outing, Brissett injures shoulder in preseason loss

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Drake Maye completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown for New England in the Patriots’ 20-10 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday night in the final preseason game.

Maye, the North Carolina rookie battling Jacoby Brissett for the starting job, made a strong case, while the offensive line made it clear why first-year coach Jerod Mayo might not want to start him right away.

Brissett started the first series and was violently tackled by defensive end K.J. Henry. Brissett finished the series, but left afterward and the Patriots listed him as suffering from a right shoulder injury.

Mayo said Brissett could have continued to play if it had been a regular-season game, and he will be evaluated again Monday.

Maye then finished the first half by throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Harris. The Patriots finished the preseason with a 1-2 record.

Mayo seemed to hint he was ready to make the decision on the next quarterback job when asked if he would allow Mayo to back up Brissett if Brissett wins the starting job.

“I’d like to sit here and say 100 percent, he’s our second-best quarterback on our roster right now,” Mayo said of Maye. “I won’t know for sure until I see the film.”

Maye didn’t get much help from his offensive line, which was flagged eight times in the first half for false starts, holding or illegal formations. At one point, Maye’s shoe flew off because he was stepped on too hard by left guard Sidy Sow. Brissett’s injury came on a play where two blockers collided.

That could influence Mayo’s decision, especially since Washington hasn’t played any of its starters on either side of the court. Mayo has said he’s open to starting in Week 1 if called upon.

“I think I’m ready for whatever this football team asks of me,” said Maye, the third overall pick in the draft.

Mayo said he was unhappy with the “undisciplined football” played by the line, and added that the team will strive to improve over the next week.

“Our job is to always look for better players,” Mayo said. “We’ll be very active on the waiver list. There will be good football players on the field and we’ll try to improve this team.”

Commanders coach Dan Quinn was content to let time run out during the preseason, with quarterback Jayden Daniels among the 34-man roster out Sunday.

Receiver Martavis Bryant caught a touchdown pass with 3:06 left to seal the victory for the Commanders (1-2).

Intrigue on the defensive line

The Commanders will have some tough decisions to make at defensive tackle, especially after a pair of strong performances against the Patriots.

Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne will start, and rookie Johnny Newton is guaranteed a spot. On Sunday night, Phidarian Mathis and John Ridgeway both made strong final statements in the race to make the 53-man roster when it is announced Tuesday.

“I definitely felt his energy,” Quinn said of Mathis. “The guys did, too. So it was really cool to see him. We had some good conversations with him and some of the other guys about what we’re looking for specifically.”

“We’ll definitely watch the video, but it was cool to see. I thought John made some big shots. The big guys really pushed inside.”

Take their foot

New England kicker Joey Slye returned to Washington, where he played last year, and was allowed to attempt a 64-yard field goal just before halftime that failed, and a 60-yard field goal at the end of the game that he missed wide left.

Sunday marked the first preseason game for Washington kicker Cade York, who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland earlier in the week. York went 2 of 2, from 34 and 33 yards.

Quinn said he deliberately passed up fourth-down attempts to give York some practice.

“In this game we really wanted to make sure he had chances to hit his kicks if those moments presented themselves, so that’s what we did,” Quinn said.

To be continued

Patriots: Regular season opener at Cincinnati on Sept. 8.

Commanders: Regular season opens at Tampa Bay on Sept. 8.