Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has promised more playing time for Drake Maye in Week 2 of the preseason.

We’ll find out Thursday at 7 p.m. if Mayo delivers.

Maye’s playing time is one of our storylines to watch against the Eagles.

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1. Drake Maye’s playing time

The rookie quarterback only played six snaps in the preseason opener last Thursday against the Panthers, and Mayo never really fully explained why except to say that it was the plan all along and that offensive line might have played a role in the decision.

Maye threw 18 passes in team drills during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Eagles and made another 15 throws in 1-on-1s. Reserves Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton III barely got any work on Tuesday, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they still saw action Thursday.

Since Maye has yet to take a first-team rep during training camp, it’s necessary to see as much of him as possible in the remaining two preseason games. Maye’s game doesn’t perfectly translate to practice, since he can make plays with his legs and on unstructured plays.

One would imagine that a solid performance from Maye against a team like the Eagles, who are expected to be contenders in 2024, would earn Maye a few reps with the 1s next week in practice. So far, it hasn’t looked like an actual quarterback competition between Brissett and Maye. If anything it resembles the sham quarterback battle between Mac Jones and Zappe last summer when Jones received all of the first-team reps, while Zappe was relegated to backup duty.

The Patriots don’t want to rush Maye, and they’ve taken a conservative approach with the rookie. But with less than a month to go until Week 1, now might be a good time to unleash him and see if he’ll be ready to play this season.

2. Offensive line combinations

The Patriots seem fairly content with Vederian Lowe at left tackle, Sidy Sow at left guard, David Andrews at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard and Chukwuma Okorafor. That’s been the starting offensive line now for weeks. Nick Leverett also filled in for Andrews during Tuesday’s practice, leaving Atonio Mafi as Maye’s center.

But maybe Tuesday’s practice was a wake-up call. Patriots quarterbacks were “sacked” 11 times on 44 dropbacks. That was behind Lowe, Sow, Andrews/Leverett, Onwenu and Okorafor with the top unit and Calvin Anderson, Michael Jordan, Leverett/Mafi, Layden Robinson and third-round pick Caedan Wallace with the backups.

Maybe a preseason game isn’t the best time to start experimenting, but it would make sense to see how the line looks with Okorafor or Wallace at left tackle, Onwenu at right tackle and Robinson, Leverett or Jordan at right guard.

It’s easier to settle for a starting guard than a starting tackle. The real issue is that the Patriots don’t have an ideal option at left tackle. Wallace, Okorafor and Onwenu are all more comfortable on the right side.

3. Starting wide receivers

Last week, the Patriots opened in 12 personnel with Tyquan Thornton and K.J. Osborn as the starting wide receivers, paired with Austin Hooper and Mitchell Wilcox at tight end and Rhamondre Stevenson at running back. JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was waived the next day, was the third wide receiver and top slot.

DeMario Douglas has since shed his red non-contact jersey, so he should be good to go for Thursday’s game. We’d like to see 2024 second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk as one of the other starters. He’s earned it as the most consistent outside option in practice.

As for the third receiver, Thornton, Osborn, Jalen Reagor and Javon Baker have all made cases for the role in training camp. Baker provides the highest ceiling but is still inconsistent. Osborn is the most versatile, while Thornton and Reagor are explosive.

4. How much will Eagles test Patriots?

The Panthers benched their starters Week 1 of the preseason, which made standout performances from players like defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Oshane Ximines difficult to gauge.

In an ideal world, the Eagles would trot out their starters so the Patriots can get a true assessment of their talent heading into the third and final game of the preseason.

5. Who’s in, who’s out?

It’s a new era in New England with Mayo as head coach, so it’s more difficult to predict how he handles preseason action. Last week, for example, it was a major surprise to see Okorafor starting at right tackle since he had sat out practices leading up to the game.

Cornerbacks Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones and Shaun Wade wore pads to practice Tuesday but didn’t participate against the Eagles. In the past, under Bill Belichick, that would almost certainly mean they would not play two days later in a preseason game. Under Mayo, it’s less of a guarantee.

A player like Marcus Jones, who played just two games last summer, was limited in the spring and hasn’t practiced for 12 days, needs snaps in the starting defense, if that’s where he’ll be Week 1.

6. Defensive tackle reps

It was notable to see Armon Watts getting snaps late in the fourth quarter against the Panthers. Christian Barmore’s status is unknown after he was diagnosed with blood clots, so defensive tackle depth matters behind Davon Godchaux and Daniel Ekuale.

Pharms, Watts, Mike Purcell, Trysten Hill, Josiah Bronson and Sam Roberts are competing for two or three more spots on the roster. Watts once looked like a near-lock, but he’ll have to beat out his competition.

7. Kicking rotation

Kickers Chad Ryland and Joey Slye split duties Thursday, and there were no miscues. Slye hit a 42-yard field goal, Ryland made two extra points, and kickoffs went off without a hitch.

If the Patriots have the opportunity to kick a field goal against the Eagles, it would make sense to give Ryland his shot.

Slye and Ryland have been very even in training camp so far.