Drake Maye could be the New England Patriots' “fatal mistake.”

The New England Patriots are clearly nowhere near a contender this season. They have a 1-4 record through five weeks and have lost four games in a row.

Jerod Mayo was fed up with the defeats and the team being dead in the water. At the start of Week 6, he made the switch to rookie Drake Maye at the quarterback position. Jacoby Brissett was benched in favor of the No. 3 overall pick.

Maye's starting debut this week has brought a lot of excitement to fans. He is the new face of the franchise and the Patriots hope he will be for many years to come.

However, one writer believes Maye's early start could be a major problem.

Colum Dell by Yardbarker has stated that setting Maye up for failure could be New England's “fatal mistake” this season.

“It's hard to imagine Maye having much success behind the New England offensive line in his first start, especially as he faces a Texans defense that has accumulated the ninth-most sacks this season (15). The Patriots should have waited to insert Maye into the starting lineup until later in the season or given him a chance to prepare for Houston by starting him in last week's game against the undermanned Dolphins. Instead, New England risks hurting Maye's confidence and development.

While Dell's line of thinking makes sense, there is also the other side to consider.

Providing Maye with reps so early in his career could give him confidence and aid his development. He is a very confident player and also experienced for his age. It will take more to shake him up than many other rookie quarterbacks playing early.

There is no doubt that the Patriots offensive line was bad. Nobody will contradict this statement.

However, Maye has a very good arm and a great football IQ. He may well be able to overcome the team's shortcomings. That's what good quarterbacks do.

That being said, it will be interesting to see how the rookie quarterback performs as the season progresses. Hopefully this move pays off for Mayo and New England.

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