Former UNC football star Drake Maye makes his NFL debut on Thursday Night Football

In what was rather surprising given the circumstances, former UNC football star Drake Maye made his NFL debut on Thursday night against the New York Jets.

With the game essentially out of reach, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo elected to insert his rookie quarterback into the game. This came after starter Jacoby Brissett took an absolute beating from the Jets defense the entire game.

Maye had some good moments as he led his team on a 16-play, 46-yard drive that ended abruptly due to time expiring. If there was more time left on the clock, the Patriots likely would have put some type of points on the board.

Overall, Maye completed four of eight passes for 22 yards. After his first NFL pass was nearly intercepted, Maye settled down nicely, connecting with some of his receivers on the drive.

Maye also made things happen with his legs, as he rushed for 12 yards. Although he did get sacked twice, it's also fair to say that the odds weren't necessarily in his favor, given the injury-ridden offensive line that was blocking for him.

After the game, Maye discussed his first outing and what he was trying to accomplish in his first real NFL action:

“Just wanted to go out there, try to make some plays and have some fun,” Maye said. “Felt a little nervous running out there. What a night with the crowd and the atmosphere to get my first game under my belt.”

When asked about his performance, here's what the former UNC football star had to say:

"Can't take stupid sacks. We're trying to get the ball out, and you can't take sacks in that situation," Maye said. "At the same time, we got some first downs and moved the chains, made some plays with my feet and hit (DeMario Douglas) over the middle. So we got some good things to look at, at the same time."

Although the timing of inserting Maye into the game didn't make much sense, it was great to see the former UNC football star in action. Now that his first appearance is under his belt, Maye now has something to build upon as he works towards eventually taking over as the Patriots' starting quarterback in the near future.

On a night that was mostly disappointing for the Patriots organization, Maye served as a reminder of what the future might hold for the franchise.