Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, attired in the team's "Nor'easter" uniform during warmups, marked an anniversary of sorts after playing against the Jets in a Thursday night game last Sept. 19.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, attired in the team's "Nor'easter" uniform during warmups, marked an anniversary of sorts after playing against the Jets in a Thursday night game last Sept. 19.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH — Thursday marked a unique anniversary in Drake Maye’s career.
The quarterback saw his first NFL action Sept. 19, 2024, in a Thursday night game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Maye, who was tossed into the fray in the second half in relief of veteran Jacoby Brissett during a 24-3 loss to the Jets, finished that game 4 for 8 for 22 yards and a pair of sacks.
Maye, who took over the New England offense with 4:24 left in regulation that evening, had one offensive series. He completed his first pass to running back Antonio Gibson, and eventually steered the Patriots to the Jets 7-yard line before he was sacked as time ran out.
Maye did face the Jets at home later in the season in a Sunday afternoon contest. But now, more than a year later, he had another crack at the Jets in prime time under the lights at Gillette Stadium.
“Yeah, man, I remember being nervous,” Maye said when asked what he recalled from that outing. “It was a night game. I was sitting on the sideline most of the game, and got thrown in there at the end, I think we ran [a play] and [a defender] almost baited me into my first interception.
“But no, it was cool. We got to drive down there and made some throws, got smacked a few times. So that was cool being in there. I think that was a cool environment.”
List of inactives
Given the way the week wrapped up for the Patriots, there were no surprises when the inactives were announced 90 minutes before Thursday’s game.
The Patriots announced running back Rhamondre Stevenson (toe), wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (hamstring), linebacker Christian Elliss (hip), and tight end Austin Hooper (concussion) were announced as out on Wednesday afternoon.
For Stevenson, Boutte, and Elliss, it marked their second straight week on the sideline. All three were at practice on Tuesday, but were limited. Hooper sustained his head injury in last week’s 28-23 win over the Buccaneers, and was out all week.
In addition, defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (who was limited this past week because of an ankle issue) was among the inactives, which cleared the way for youngster Eric Gregory (who was acquired on waivers from Cincinnati in the summer) to make his Patriots’ debut.
Another defender active for the first time in a New England uniform was safety John Saunders Jr. Saunders, who was signed off the Dolphins practice squad last month.
In addition, offensive lineman Caedan Wallace was a healthy scratch for the 10th time this season, while quarterback Tommy DeVito was the third quarterback.
A chill fit
Thursday night marked the debut of the Patriots’ “Nor’easter” uniforms. The light blue jerseys — described as having “a deep Storm Blue base” — includes six stars as a nod to the six New England states.
In addition, the team says the “NE” shoulder logo is inspired by nautical lettering and compass points, and underscores the unique nature of the Patriots as the only team to represent an entire region. And on the inside color, a nod to the team’s history with the phrase “We Are All Patriots.”
Topped off by a matte white helmet, it’ll represent the third different look — behind their current uniform model, as well as the “Pat Patriot” throwback — the team will feature this season.
“I think the new uniforms are great,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs earlier in the week. “Definitely something to be excited about. Try not to get caught up in all that, but it’s something that, you know, the league lets us have a little fun here and there.”
With the Patriots continuing to deal with depth issues at linebacker and running back, they elevated linebacker Darius Harris and running back D’Ernest Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster.
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Harris spent time with the Chiefs (2019-23) and the Cowboys (2024) after originally entering the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Chiefs out of Middle Tennessee State in 2019. Entering the Jets game, the 29-year-old had played in 39 games with six starts in the regular season and has registered 55 total tackles, 1½ sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. Thursday night represented his second elevation this year.
The 29-year-old Johnson, a 5-11, 205-pounder who originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Browns out of South Florida in 2019, is in his seventh NFL season after spending time with the Browns (2019-22), Jaguars (2023-24), Ravens (2025) and Cardinals (2025). He was elevated for the third straight week.
A welcomed whistle
Alan Eck was the assigned referee for the game against the Jets, a welcome sight for the Patriots.
On average, Eck’s crew entered the game as one of the least-inclined crews when it comes to throwing flags; through nine games, they had thrown on average the fourth-fewest amount of flags (12.33) in the NFL.
It marked the first Patriots’ game of the year for Eck; he worked the 2024 regular-season finale between the Patriots and Bills.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.