Well, the second preseason game No. 2 is over for the good old Patriots, who lost by one point on home soil.

Nice to be back, isn’t it?

Going into the game, fans wanted to know if their franchise quarterback, Drake Maye, would get an even bigger chance than his appearance in that one series against Carolina.

Well, it seems that all of New England got what it wanted. Maye entered the game in the second quarter and played two drives in the third.

The right-hander’s strengths were immediately apparent. First, he was able to show off his strong arm by completing a few passes towards the middle of the field.

We don’t need to talk about the beautiful 10 he threw to Javon Baker, who ended up dropping the play of the game.

And then there was his agility, which I’m excited to see more of.

Look, I prefer Tom Brady over any other quarterback who has ever played, but having a mobile quarterback is pretty fun, right?

Maye showed that he could escape a collapsing pocket and still make a shot on the run – something Mac Jones could not do.

What also impressed me was Maye’s ability to escape the pocket, but at the same time be confident enough to not take a hit. There were times when a linebacker would come at him and Maye would just throw the ball away and get another down.

That was not the case with Joe Milton, who, at 6’4″ and 250lbs, was like a wrecking ball and overran the Eagles’ defense.

On the 4-yard touchdown run that bombarded Patriots fans’ social media timelines, Maye did a good job of recognizing that the defense was collapsing inside, allowing him to keep the ball and get into the end zone unscathed.

Also, a quick shout out to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who apparently asked Maye what he felt comfortable with from his time at North Carolina. That TD play was something Maye excelled at in college.

Despite the positives, there are a few things I think Maye should improve on between now and the Patriots’ third and final preseason game against Washington.

One glaring problem that was reported during training camp is the way the centers (except David Andrews) alternate with the quarterbacks.

On Thursday, Maye took a snap from backup Nick Leverett and lost the ball. Fortunately, New England was able to recover the ball, but that has been a problem throughout training camp – whether it was Leverett or backup Antonio Mafi.

I could write all day about how bad the backups are or how I’m not convinced the tackles are the right guys. But hey, there’s not much you can do about that now. The first game of the regular season is Sunday, September 8th, against Cincinnati.

It still looks like Jacoby Brissett will start in Week 1. However, if Maye plays well in his final preseason game, he may be used earlier than originally planned.

Plus, our general manager grew up with the Green Bay Packers, so we may have to wait a little while to see more of our franchise quarterback.

To summarize, Maye is 21 years old, but in his third season he plays more like a 24-year-old.

I don’t know. I have a good feeling about him.