Patriots Lead Eagles 10-3 at Halftime: Drake Maye Scores First NFL Touchdown

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Less than 24 hours removed from reaching an agreement to trade four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons, the New England Patriots are hosting the Philadelphia Eagles for their second preseason game.

Though many Patriots players are garnering some attention during Thursday’s matchup, the offense — primarily the quarterbacks — have absorbed the majority of the spotlight, thus far.

Here is a look at some observations from the first half with New England holding a 10-3 lead.

Jacoby Brissett Gets the Start

While nearly all eyes of Patriots Nation were fixed on rookie quarterback Drake Maye, veteran and expected opening day starter Jacoby Brissett played the first three series for the Pats — completing 3-of-7 for 17 yards and one interception. Brissett struggled a bit with finding his footing on a rain-slicked Gillette Stadium field. His interception came on third-and-3 wish just over seven minutes left in the first quarter. Tight end Austin Hooper broke outside on Brissett’s backshoulder attempt, which allowed Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox to make the play on the ball.

Drake Maye Has Arrived

While Maye has shown flashes of his exciting potential — including a handful of well-placed passes during a joint practice with the Eagles on Tuesday, his first pro football indoctrination took place in the second quarter of this matchup. Maye completed 5-of-7 for 47 yards.

The No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft showcased his passing prowess on completions to fellow rookies Javon Baker and Ja’Lynn Polk for 12 and six yards respectively. On 3rd-and-Goal with less than two minutes remaining, Maye took a quick fake into the end zone for a four-yard rushing touchdown.

Pats Defense Sans Judon?

With linebacker Matthew Judon having been traded to the Atlanta Falcons , the Pats face the daunting task of attempting to fill the large void in their pass rush. With Judon no longer able to control the pass rush on third-down, the Pats are relaying on their linebackers and defensive backs to create stunts. New England’s new-look pass rush consisting of edge rusher Keion White, linebacker Joshua Uche and  defenisve Deatrich Wise each collected a sack. The Pats also compiled six tackles-for-loss.