After the Patriots' fourth straight loss, Jerod Mayo doesn't seem so sure about Jacoby Brissett at QB

“We’ve got to play better, man,” Brissett said after Sunday’s game. “There is no magic thing we have to do. We just have to play better. We have to improve our performance. We have to play better with good fundamentals. We have to do all the little things better.”

Brissett finished 18 of 34 for 160 yards passing. He was sacked twice and hit nine times, which is statistically par for the course as he has worked behind an inconsistent offensive line this season.

In five games, Brissett was sacked 17 times, the third-most sacking in the NFL. He's on pace to be sacked 58 times, which would put him one shy of the franchise record. (Tony Eason was sacked 59 times in 1984.) And the Patriots have allowed sacks on 13.29 percent of their dropbacks, the third-highest number in the league.

However, Mayo praised the offensive line's work – and may have mildly criticized Brissett's penchant for holding on to the football too long – by saying it did a “pretty good job” of keeping the Dolphins in check.

“Obviously there was pressure throughout the day, but there were also some pockets that seemed pretty clean,” said Mayo, who started the fifth different offensive line combination in five games. “When evaluating, you have to bring everything together. The quarterback position is like the offensive line: per play. But I do think they showed fight yesterday.”

Mayo mentioned earlier this year that Maye received about 30 percent of the first-team work in practice, an unusual percentage for a backup quarterback. Maye's only game reps this season, however, came in a 24-3 loss to the Jets last month, when he went 4 of 8 for 22 yards and a pair of sacks as a replacement for Brissett.

Last month, despite the offensive woes (the Patriots averaged 8.7 points per game over the past three weeks), Mayo typically began the week with a public show of support for Brissett, saying the veteran would continue to be the starting signal-caller.

On Monday, Mayo was more subdued.

“My message is that we are all evaluated every week – I should say every day,” the first-year head coach said. “And now it’s no different. That’s pretty much how I see it.”

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne left no doubt about how he feels.

“Personally, as a receiver, it’s just about opening up as much as possible for whoever is out there,” he said. “I've played with several quarterbacks in my career and I just tried to do the best I could for the quarterback.

“I'm not trying to point fingers, I'm not trying to look beyond what I can do, but control what I can control. Honestly, I just trust Mayo and Eliot (Wolf's) belief and process in what we want to build for the future. So if that's what they think is best, then I believe in it. So Jacoby is our man and I’m going with him.”

The desire of some corners to start Maye, the third overall pick in the draft, is underscored by the recent successes of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams in Chicago and second overall pick Jayden Daniels in Washington. Williams has thrown five touchdown passes in the last three weeks, while the Bears have won two of their last three. And Daniels has six total touchdowns (four passing and two rushing) as the Commanders are off to a 4-1 start.

Meanwhile, Maye continues to sit and wait.

“I watch those guys on film,” Mayo said. “I would say every situation is unique and that applies to our situation too. I think you nailed it these guys, it was a little rocky at first except for Jayden Daniels.

“But these guys are playing at a high level. It's natural for fans and media to say, “We've got a good quarterback in the starting blocks, too.” But at the same time, our mentality is: How do we develop him? How do we get the guys on the field around him to develop? And it goes from there.”

Mayo was asked if he would discuss with the coaching staff whether the Patriots would consider starting Maye this weekend against the Texans.

“We are in a solutions-oriented business and we don’t play good football,” Mayo said. “We have to look at every single unit and every single player and figure out how we use that squad to go out and win games.”

Christopher Price can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @cpriceglobe.