Despite their dispiriting blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Jacoby Brissett “is 100 percent our starter, and that’s how we’re going to look at this going forward.” according to Alex Barth of 995 The Sports Hub.

As simplistic as it sounds, Brissett will be the Patriots’ starter until he isn’t. Brissett hasn’t thrown for more than 168 yards in a game this season and has two touchdowns to one interception while leading the Patriots to a 1-3 start. Brissett has also taken 15 sacks on the season, which is more an indictment on the Patriots’ offensive line than it is his play, but things haven’t been great, regardless of how you slice it.

Drake Maye lies in wait, but it’s hard to blame the Patriots for wanting to avoid throwing the rookie into a near-impossible situation to succeed. Maye will get his chance eventually, but the Patriots don’t appear interested in forcing him on the field in what already has the makings of a lost season.