History proves Patriots should start Drake Maye against Bengals in Week 1

For most of the offseason, the Patriots' presumed starter has been Jacoby Brissett, who was signed in free agency to be the veteran mentor and bridge to the incoming rookie. He has served that role well since Drake Maye was drafted, and throughout the first two weeks of the preseason, he continued to fill the QB1 spot on the depth chart.

That isn't expected to change when the Patriots finish the preseason against the Commanders this weekend, with all four quarterbacks expected to get some playing time.

But Brissett's once solid positioning at the top of the depth chart has begun to crack, especially after Maye's impressive performance against the Eagles last week.

It has prompted Jerod Mayo to state that the Patriots do not have an official starter heading into the upcoming game, and we shouldn't expect to know who that might be until early next week if he shares that with the media.

While Maye has certainly made strides to show he can be the right guy for the job, many factors benefit keeping Brissett under center, mainly the consistency issue along the offensive line. That doesn't bode well for a rookie to handle in their first career start.

However, a new intriguing statistic regarding first-time quarterback's chances against the Bengals, who the Patriots face in Week 1 of the regular season, could alter the inevitable fate of the quarterbacks, at least to kick off the year.

It might be best for the Patriots to make Drake Maye the starter for Week 1

Pro Football Network and Bengals beat reporter Jay Morrison did some digging and found a fascinating tidbit that could make the Patriots' decision of who to make the starting quarterback for the season opener much simpler. It also throws a wrench into Cincinnati's game planning for their first opponent.

Morrison discovered that five of the last six quarterbacks who made their NFL debuts against the Bengals since 2002 have won their matchups, meaning Maye has history on his side against the Patriots' first opponents.

Although that might not be the determining factor for Mayo to make the final decision, it might be an aspect he could be willing to consider if he wants the team to be competitive from the get-go.

The Bengals will inevitably be tough competitors for this current Patriots team, as they are perennial Super Bowl contenders with a franchise quarterback surrounded by impressive offensive line talent and top-of-the-league receivers. It will be a strong test for New England's defense to start the year and a good evaluator for the offense, starting with a brutal string of matchups.

Mayo and Co. will have to make a difficult decision about who the starting quarterback should be since both arguments for Brissett and Maye have pros and cons.

However, this is the Patriots' first game of the year, and although the NFL is an "any given Sunday" type of league, the first month of the season lives and dies by that mantra even more. That could mean Maye has an even better chance of being successful than if he is thrown in later in the year.

But we'll have to wait and see.

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