FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts – New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Friday that Jacoby Brissett remains the team’s starting quarterback and praised his toughness despite a series of defensive mishaps in Thursday’s 24-3 loss to the New York Jets.

Mayo’s statement came a day after he brought in rookie Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, late in the fourth quarter for his first regular-season appearance.

“Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he’s not the quarterback,” Mayo said Friday morning. “I thought he showed a lot of toughness and a lot of grit.”

Brissett, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 98 yards, was sacked five times and statisticians recorded him being hit 15 times as the Jets switched to a blitz-heavy approach to exploit the Patriots’ shorthanded offensive line. In the Patriots’ first three games, he completed 42 of 69 passes for 368 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Immediately after Thursday’s game, Mayo shared his coaching philosophy that every player is always competing for his job and said he plans to meet with the coaching staff to discuss the team’s quarterback plans.

That includes offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who told reporters Friday that he believes it would be to Maye’s advantage to remain Brissett’s replacement at this point.

“I still think you learn by watching. I think there’s still a lot to learn and that’s my opinion,” Van Pelt said, adding that he’s optimistic about Maye’s future. “Jacoby is our starter, like coach said. Until that changes, I think we need to do everything we can to get the starter ready to win a game on Oct. 29 in San Francisco.”

On his only drive, Maye completed 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards and two runs for 12 yards. The drive began at the Patriots’ 42-yard line and ended with a sack after reaching the Jets’ 7-yard line.

“Coming off the bench at a time like that is always tough, no matter what position, but especially at the quarterback position, and I thought he did a good job of trying to put a drive together,” Mayo said, noting Maye’s athleticism and ability to hit every throw. “That’s something to build on.”

In practice, the Patriots have given Maye 30% of the first-team reps, according to Mayo, and the plan is to stick with that approach.

“Right now, I’d say it’s still the status quo. I’ve said it before – Jacoby is still our starting quarterback and we have to be ready to support him, eleven guys out there on offense. It’s about everyone,” Mayo said.

The Patriots (1-2) next game is on September 29th at the San Francisco 49ers.