Drake Maye might technically be near the end of his second season with the New England Patriots, but he didn't get his first start as a rookie until Week 6, so he's only been a starter in 25 games so far, just over the 17 games of a regular season. So there is a lot still for him to learn and overcome in his young career, and he might get a good dose of that against the Giants this week.
Although they come to Foxboro with a 2-10 record, they will have their rookie starting quarterback back in the lineup after missing last week's game due to a concussion, and that certainly puts the Patriots' defense on notice.
That will be something they'll need to prepare for, but it might not be the biggest challenge against the longtime foes. Maye being down his starting left tackle and left guard could become a significant problem going against a stout defensive line led by one of the best pass rushers in the game today.
It will be a massive test for those filling in for Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, which draws a lot of concern about how the offense will fare on Monday night.
The Giants' defensive line will be a brutal test for Patriots' backups on Monday night
Even if Campbell and Wilson were available to play this week, the Patriots' offense would still be facing a tough battle against the Giants' defensive front. Brian Burns goes into this game with the second-most sacks this season, with 13, and could have an easy time extending that this week.
Alongside the veteran is notable rookie Abdul Carter, whom the Patriots had their eye on in the first round of this year's draft. He has brought a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season, recording 38 in 12 games.
Not far behind is Dexter Lawrence with 25 pressures, and that doesn't even include Kayvon Thibodeaux, who could be returning to the lineup this week after dealing with an injury, just to make the cast of talent Maye will be facing that much tougher.
It's going to put a lot of pressure on players like Ben Brown and Vederian Lowe to really step it up and protect their quarterback at a level close to that of the starters would have, even if that's going to be incredibly difficult.
Based on how they performed during the 2024 season, there isn't much optimism that it's a possibility, but Maye seems confident in the duo to help get the job done, which helps a bit with confidence in the challenge.