Patriots' pocket is not yet safe enough for Drake Maye to take over for Jacoby Brissett

The New England Patriots showed in Week 2 why they are sticking with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback over first-round draft pick Drake Maye.

Not because Brissett is moving the offense with his arm, or even his legs.

But because it’s not yet safe for Maye to line up behind the Patriots’ offensive line.

Brissett was sacked three times and hit a handful of others in the 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. One left the caretaker quarterback favoring his shoulder, another twisted his knee.

And the Patriots have invested too much in Maye — the No. 3 overall pick in the draft — to put the former North Carolina star at risk.

“You never want your quarterback to get hit,” coach Jerod Mayo said. “We have to do a better job with our pass (protection) up front, and we have to keep him clean. Because even when he’s not getting hit, or any quarterback, if they’re back there and they feel people around him, it always is going to affect you a little bit.”

Although the Patriots came into the season with low expectations — they were the biggest underdog in the league in Week 1 — Brissett managed the offense well enough to come away with an upset of the Cincinnati Bengals. Mayo crowed that his offensive line had been unfairly maligned.

But the problems the blockers showed in the preseason — Brissett hurt his right shoulder in the finale against Washington — reappeared against the Seahawks.

One key turning point came after Antonio Gibson broke free for a 45-yard run to the Seattle 25 with about seven minutes left and New England holding a 20-17 lead. After two runs that took almost two minutes off the clock, Brissett was sacked for a 9-yard loss, dropping the Patriots from the 21 to the 30.

The 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked, setting the Seahawks up on a short field for the tying field goal that sent the game into overtime.

The defense — especially the run defense — has been solid. The Seahawks managed just 46 yards on 19 carries.

The passing game has been slow to develop over the first two games, with Brissett totaling 30 completions for 270 yards and one touchdown so far this season. He has thrown only one pass downfield, according to Sportradar — the fewest attempts of 20 or more yards in the league. Only the Commanders (0-2), the Panthers (0-6) and the Bears (0-10) also have failed to complete a deep pass.

Tight end Hunter Henry caught eight passes, matching a career high, for a personal-best 109 yards.

After managing the season opener well enough to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, Brissett completed just 15 of 27 passes for 149 yards.

Linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, a defensive captain, left the game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury; the NFL Network reported that he has a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the rest of the season. Center David Andrews missed practice on Monday with a hip injury.

19 – Brissett completed three passes for 19 yards to wide receivers in the game. It’s the eighth time since the merger that Patriots wide receivers have picked up fewer than 20 passing yards in a game. Brissett has two of them, also connecting with wide receivers for just 16 yards in a 16-0 loss to Buffalo on Oct. 2, 2016, the final game of Tom Brady’s Deflategate suspension.

The Patriots travel to the Meadowlands to play the Jets on Thursday night.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New England Patriots place kicker Joey Slye, right, kicks a field goal in front of punter Bryce Baringer, left, in the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo adjusts his microphone in the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, right, celebrates after his touchdown with tight end Hunter Henry, left, in the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, left, and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, greet one another in the center of the field following an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett speaks with reporters following an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) is brought down by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe, center, in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, right, is brought down by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe, left, in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, right, is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams, center, in front of Patriots guard Michael Jordan, left, in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Florian Wirtz is only 21 and he's already one of the most experienced players in a new-look Germany team.

As Germany switches focus to the 2026 World Cup, injuries, retirements and a short-term focus on Euro 2024 have left it with a Nations League squad that lacks international experience but isn't especially young either.

Wirtz, the star attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen, is the second youngest player in the squad but also the fifth most experienced player on 25 caps, as Germany prepares to play Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday and the Netherlands on Monday.

None of the three goalkeepers in the squad — Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel and Oliver Blaswich — have ever played for Germany. With Barcelona's Marc-André ter Stegen injured for months to come, one of them will have to step up.

Six of coach Julian Nagelsmann’s preferred players were unavailable with injuries as of Tuesday; Leipzig left back David Raum the latest to drop out. New faces such as Jamie Leweling, Jonny Burkardt and Tim Kleindienst are Bundesliga regulars but untested at international level.

“Though it's a shame that this time we have to do without some injured regulars who contributed through the home Euros in the summer, we're very much looking forward to seeing our new players in the team environment and in training,” coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Monday in remarks reported by dpa.

Even before Bayern's Jamal Musiala, Arsenal's Kai Havertz and West Ham's Niclas Füllkrug all dropped out injured, Germany's squad was looking threadbare after a spate of high-profile retirements following the run to the quarterfinals at Euro 2024.

Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Ilkay Gündogan and Thomas Müller called time on Germany after Euro 2024, taking a combined 451 caps' worth of experience with them.

There's a wider effect, too, from the pressure Germany felt to succeed when it hosted Euro 2024.

Short-term thinking was Germany's official policy when Nagelsmann was appointed last year on a contract that ran only through to Euro 2024, and he focused on getting a misfiring group of experienced players to gel again. Nagelsmann later extended his stay through to the 2026 World Cup.

Germany can usually count on Musiala and Wirtz, two of the brightest young talents in world soccer, but other young players once hyped as Germany's future have yet to break through.

Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi has lacked consistency and had injury problems. Striker Youssoufa Moukoko and defender Armel Bella-Kotchap were Adeyemi's teammates at the 2022 World Cup but haven't been selected since. Progress seems to have stalled for 21-year-old forward Maximilian Beier since he joined Dortmund this season, too.

One player who'll be expected to perform against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands is Bayern forward Serge Gnabry, back in the team after 11 months away.

In a sign of how much things have changed, Gnabry's 22 international goals mean he's scored more for Germany than everyone else in the squad put together.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz watches during a training session ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in Leverkusen, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)