After making his NFL debut in a lopsided loss to the Jets in Week 3, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye did not play against the 49ers Sunday.
Coach Jerod Mayo said after the game that he did not consider playing Maye during the 30-13 loss, and on Monday morning, he told reporters that Jacoby Brissett remains the starting quarterback.
“Jacoby is 100 percent our starter,” Mayo said. “He’s 100 percent our starter and that’s how we’re going to look at this going forward.”
During his weekly radio interview on WEEI, Mayo acknowledged that his decision to keep Maye on the bench may be frustrating to those who follow the team.
“We evaluate things every single week,” Mayo said. “I think the hard part about it, all the fans, you guys in the media, want to see the third overall pick play. I understand the frustration from the fans, I understand the frustration from you guys in here.”
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“What we’re doing is what we think is best. What I’m doing is what I think is best for the Patriots today and also in the future, and that’s how I have to look at these things. You guys look at these things on a week-to-week basis. I think there’s a combination of multiple things that we have to deal with.”
The offensive line’s pass protection issues have intensified. The Patriots have given up 13 sacks the past two games after giving up four in the first two.
Mayo was asked if he would feel comfortable putting Maye in if Brissett got injured.
“Well, that’s why he’s the backup quarterback,” Mayo said. “You know what I would say, he’s still a rookie quarterback, and for us to put all this pressure on him dealing with hypotheticals — he’s a rookie. He’s going to take his bumps and bruises along the way as well.
“I understand that part of it, but at the same time it’s not like a knight coming in and saving the world. There’s still going to be these conversations.”
The Patriots came into the season with a plan for Maye’s development, and they are sticking to it, Mayo said. Mayo stuck with Brissett as the starter even after he said Maye was performing better at one time in camp.
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“What we had to do was go into the regular season knowing that, look, who gives us the best chance to win right now?” Mayo said. “Just because you’re trending better in a certain way doesn’t mean you outperform from a holistic standpoint talking about the spring all the way through training camp.”
Mayo was asked why starting Brissett is the better choice.
“He’s done a good job doing what we’ve asked,” Mayo said. “Are there a lot of plays we could do a better job with? Absolutely. But I would never question his toughness, his dependability, his leadership style for this team, and that’s what we need right now.”
Chasing goals
The Patriots squeezed in a conditioning session Monday afternoon after returning from California, running back Antonio Gibson said.
“I think we got back at like 4 in the morning,” Gibson said. “Had to be up here at 1 to run, earlier if you wanted to prepare for that run.”
“I was about to say it’s no fuel right now, but that’s why we’ve got the off day [Tuesday]. That will be our time to take care of our bodies and get ready for practice on Wednesday.”
Gibson said he didn’t have much trouble with the quick turnaround.
“Not too challenging,” Gibson said. “It’s just throughout the season you can kind of get complacent in practice. You’re not doing as much training for conditioning, you’re just practicing and that’s kind of where you get your conditioning in.
“You can catch some guys running in the back of the end zone when it’s not their turn. When the offense is up, the defense does it. The defense is up, some of the offensive guys do it. You’ve just got to find something you can do to keep that conditioning up.”
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Painful progression
Sunday’s loss was the first time an opponent scored 30 points on the Patriots this season.
New England has given up more points every week since the opening win at Cincinnati.
The injuries to Christian Barmore, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and Kyle Dugger have begun to take their toll, safety Jabrill Peppers said.
“The defense we started training camp out with is not the defense we have right now,” Peppers said. “Right now, we’re working a lot of guys in, a lot of young guys, a lot of guys who are playing new positions or haven’t played within this scheme.
“We still think we can be a good defense but now it’s just about forming that camaraderie with the new players, getting guys’ confidence high, and really just knowing what you’re supposed to do and how to do it down in and down out.”
Khari Thompson can be reached at khari.thompson@globe.com.