Pats Pulpit
Our offseason countdown continues with the No. 4 Best Patriots Moment of 2024.
As we creep into mid-June and the dead time on the NFL calendar creeps along, we’re rounding the corner of our countdown of the Top 10 New England Patriots Moments of 2024.
The list so far:
10. Jerod Mayo out, Mike Vrabel in.
9. Drake Maye hits Austin Hooper for a 38-yard TD on 4th-and-15 against the Miami Dolphins.
8. Joey Slye nails a 63-yard field goal to close out the half against the San Francisco 49ers.
7. A free play gets DeMario Douglas into the end zone vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.
6. A nine-sack day helps list the Patriots over the Chicago Bears.
5. A late 70-yard touchdown drive hands the Jets their fifth consecutive loss, and the Patriots their second win.
4. The Patriots stun the Bengals on opening weekend.
Welcome to the Top 3, which to me represent the only things really worth remembering about last season. Each of these three moments represents a nod towards the future, the hope and optimism that accompanied brief moments of brilliance amid a raging sea of ineptitude.
October 13, 2024. Week 6 of the NFL season. The 1-4 Patriots, with the season more or less over, turned to their rookie quarterback to make his first ever NFL start. The Jacoby Brissett era was over. The Drake Maye era began.
Patriots fans were beyond ready for the change. Brissett was always meant to be nothing more than a stopgap, a seasoned veteran who knew the ins and outs of playing in the NFL to serve as a mentor to Maye and give him a little more time to learn the playbook and adjust to the speed of the pro game. But with Brissett injured the week before, coupled with overall poor play, it was time for a switch.
At 1-4, any slim chance the Patriots might have had to make the playoffs was more or less gone. The shine of that Week 1 win had long since faded, and it was back to seeing who on the 2024 roster would be part of the rebuild and what pockets of positivity we could all take into next year.
The game against the visiting Houston Texans itself was nothing short of embarrassing, a 41-21 that wasn’t even that close. Houston completely mollywhopped the Patriots on the ground to the tune of 192 rushing yards, including two separate 50+ yard TD runs. But nobody really cared about that. This game was all about Drake Maye and what he’d be doing with his first-ever start.
Maye’s performance in this game was, in many ways. a microcosm of his whole rookie campaign: expected growing pains coupled with flashes of incredible athleticism and wise-beyond-his-years decision making. He’d follow up a poor decision with a brilliant one, miss one throw only to nail another. Make a great play with...
