The New England Patriots made their decision before the regular season to start veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett over rookie Drake Maye.

They should feel good about that decision based on the start of this NFL season.

Maye came in as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. There’s plenty of quarterback talent in that class with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and Spencer Rattler. With that said, what have none of those players done this season?

Throw a touchdown pass.

The rookies have struggled thus far when being thrown in to start from the jump. The watch and develop plan for Maye hopes to unveil an enhanced product, physically and mentally, when the Patriots do decide to start the North Carolina product in the (near?) future.

Legitimate talents in Williams, Daniels and Nix — the three rookies who earned starting jobs – -have all had humbling moments within the first two weeks of the NFL season. The Patriots can now see the benefit that allowing Maye to study the work of a veteran and see professional defenses will have.

The Patriots could potentially put that decision into practice when they visit Williams and the Chicago Bears on Nov. 10.