FOXBORO — After almost a week of losing ground to Drake Maye in their nominal position competition, Jacoby Brissett kept his distance Monday.

Brissett led a scoring drive to end practice, handed 1:04 on the clock and a full field ahead to go. Brissett took his first snap and launched a deep ball down the left sideline for Tyquan Thornton. The speedy receiver did his part, beating Christian Gonzalez over a 45-yard dead sprint to make the catch in stride.

Just like that, Brissett was in striking distance. Two run plays followed, allowing the field goal unit to best position itself in a theoretical end-of-game situation where the Patriots only needed a field goal to win or tie. The kick was good. Brissett won.

With training camp set to close Friday, this is where Brissett seems to find himself in his head-to-head battle with Maye: waiting to run the clock out before claiming victory.

He’s taken every first-team rep in 17 practices. He outperformed Maye in most of those workouts. Despite Jerod Mayo’s insistence that Maye could still win the job, it’s hard to envision the rookie climbing back in such a short amount of time.

That said, Maye has saved his best for last. His last three practices have been some of, if not the best, of his entire summer. Maye also outplayed Brissett in the team’s last preseason game against the Eagles.

As for Monday, he went 1-of-3 with a sack on his final series, which resulted in a turnover on downs. But overall, Maye finished a sharp 8-of-11 in competitive drills with one sack, compared to the two Brissett took. Maye also received protection from some projected starters on the offensive line, who rotated into the second-team offense.

Elsewhere at Patriots practice, a veteran corner reclaimed his spot, a rookie receiver keeps going in reverse, two other rookies saw starting reps on offense and the kicking competition took another turn.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations:

Attendance

Hunter Henry #85 of the New England Patriots during practice at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Returned: TE Austin Hooper, DL Armon Watts

Absent: TE Hunter Henry, OLB Joshua Uche, OT Calvin Anderson, C/G Nick Leverett, TE Mitchell Wilcox, OLB Oshane Ximines, S/LB Marte Mapu, WR JaQuae Jackson, DL Christian Barmore

Limited: Hooper

PUP: WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Sione Takitaki, OL Cole Strange

Notes: Hooper and Watts both returned after missing Sunday’s practice. Jerod Mayo said he expects Henry to be available for Week 1, but left the door open to a potentially longer absence. Uche, Leverett and Mapu were spotted watching drills up close, but did not don pads.

Play of the Day

Brissett’s bomb to Thornton

Aside from the completion itself (detailed above), this play highlighted two positives.

No. 1 Brissett put enough air under this deep ball, an inconsistent area in his game thus far in training camp.

No. 2 Thornton continues to track deep throws better than he’s ever shown. The 2022 second-round pick may finally be tapping into his potential, even if it’s unclear whether he will ever develop into an every-down starter.

Player of the Day

New England Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. takes to the field for a recent training camp practice. (Staff Photo/Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

DL Deatrich Wise

Without Matthew Judon, the Patriots must replace a significant source of edge pass rush and occasional edge-setting against the run. Wise did both on Monday.

The 30-year-old defensive lineman tallied a sack and one run-stuff on a day with few team periods. Wise tallied both working against the starting offense, besting left tackle Vederian Lowe for a sack and later stopping running back Rhamondre Stevenson in his tracks.

QB Corner

Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods only. The stats in parentheses represent the quarterbacks’ camp-long performance.

Jacoby Brissett: 5-of-6, 2 sacks (161-of-246 — 65.4%, 6 INTs, 28 sacks)

Drake Maye: 8-of-11, sack (143-of-229 — 62.4%, 5 INTs, 21 sacks)

New England Patriots Jacoby Brissett watches as Drake Maye throws during practice at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Notes: Quick work for the quarterbacks.

After initial stretching and a special teams walkthrough, the Patriots conducted an extensive 11-on-11 walkthrough period. The starting offense and defense ran several plays on opposite fields, while their backups acted as a scout-team buffer that organized itself based on play cards.

Once competitive drills began, Brissett, Maye and Joe Milton saw three snaps apiece in an 11-on-11 drill. Each took two dropbacks and handed the ball off once. Brissett found DeMario Douglas on a shallow cross after taking a Davon Godchaux sack, then Maye hit Antonio Gibson on a swing screen and a checkdown against pressure.

Jacoby Brissett still considers himself Patriots starting QB despite Jerod Mayo’s message

Next, in 7-on-7s, Brissett went 2-of-3 with a couple short completions over the middle, while Maye hit all three passes on deeper routes: a curl, deep corner and comeback. Another brief 11-on-11 period followed, where Brissett made one handoff, found K.J. Osborn in the flat and got “sacked” by Deatrich Wise. With his three reps, Maye executed a trick run play, whipped a short completion to rookie tight end Jaheim Bell and missed Jalen Reagor on a downfield, back-shoulder throw versus tight coverage.

At the end, each running a 1-minute drill, Brissett made the Play of the Day, while Maye took a sack on an unblocked safety blitz, ripped an outside pass to Kayshon Boutte on a comeback route, had an incompletion due to an apparent miscommunication with either backup tight end La’Michael Pettway or Javon Baker, completed a flat throw to Pettway and chucked an incomplete Hail Mary.

Studs

DL Keion White

Keion White #99 of the New England Patriots takes a break during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

White dominated 1-on-1 pass rush, including a win over Mike Onwenu, then tallied a near sack in team periods. Missed in his production is the fact White has played virtually every position along the Patriots’ defensive front — and successfully so.

WR K.J. Osborn

The veteran wideout caught three passes on a team-high four targets in team drills, with the lone incompletion being thrown too far ahead of him in 7-on-7s. Osborn caught passes from Maye on a comeback route and a deep corner, making it back-to-back practices the two have connected on long throws.

Duds

K Joey Slye

A day after earning Player of the Day in this space, Slye missed two field goals at the end of practice to tilt the kicking competition back to even. He finished 3-of-5 overall, making a kick that capped Brissett’s 1-minute drill and later missed from 45 and 53 yards out. His makes were from 41 and 49 yards away.

WR Javon Baker

Another tough day in a rough two-week stretch for the rookie. Baker went catchless, dropped his first target in team drills, and primarily ran with the third-stringers.

Offensive notes

New England Patriots wide receiver K.J. Osborn #2 makes a catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Top targets in team drills: WR K.J. Osborn 3/4, TE La’Michael Pettway 1/3, WR DeMario Dougls 2/2, RB Antonio Gibson 2/2, TE Jacob Warren 2/2
Drops: TE Jaheim Bell, Baker
Top offensive line: LT Vederian Lowe, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Chukwuma Okorafor

Quarterbacks

Even though his 1-minute drill ended without a score, Maye’s confidence and downfield aggression was, again, notable. He’s far from the checkdown artist who wore a No. 10 jersey for most of the first three weeks.
A good day for rookie Joe Milton, who went 5-of-6 in two team periods. Meanwhile, Bailey Zappe went 1-of-3, with two incompletions in Javon Baker’s direction.
Milton ripped a couple completions on out routes, one up the seam to undrafted rookie David Wallis, and had a pass dropped at the end of Jaheim Bell’s deep crossing route.

Running backs

After Antonio Gibson caught Maye’s initial two passes, none of the running backs saw any targets in team drills.
Rhamondre Stevenson, per usual, led off all periods and wriggled free on an inside run late in the day. Overall, another so-so rushing practice.
The Patriots may treat Kevin Harris as their No. 3 running back, but JaMycal Hasty’s presence as a core special-teamer is notable. Hasty, an undersized scatback, may make the 53-man roster on that alone.

Wide receivers

New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton #11 makes a catch during practice at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

For now, the Patriots have four receivers for two or three starting spots: DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Tyquan Thornton and Ja’Lynn Polk.
Thornton finished with only the one catch, but the staff seems to prefer he starts, given how often he’s opened team drills, despite his production slowing significantly since the start of camp.
Douglas, meanwhile, is a staple in the slot. He is the most capable and consistent of this group, followed by Osborn whose rapport with both quarterbacks has notably grown.
As for Polk, he did not start most 11-on-11 periods Monday after doing so in each of the previous two practices. His one catch was a ball in the flat off Joe Milton’s hand. He is now tied with Douglas for most receptions this summer.
Behind this group, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor posted one catch for a second straight day.

Tight ends

Austin Hooper’s return did not coincide with a return to full participation, as he ceded snaps in team periods to rookies Jaheim Bell and Jacob Warren and backup La’Michael Pettway.
Bell, who scored three touchdowns in a tight red zone period Sunday, couldn’t keep his momentum going, dropping one of two targets he saw in team drills.
Warren led all tight ends with a couple grabs, one from Brissett and another courtesy of Zappe. Pettway did little to inspire belief he will be on the 53-man roster, though Maye twice looked his way during his 1-minute drill.

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Offensive line

After two days of regular rotations in team drills, the Patriots stuck with their starting offensive line for most of practice. There was, however, one exception …
Rookies Layden Robinson and Caedan Wallace started Brissett’s 1-minute drill at left guard and right tackle, respectively, and played all three snaps of that series. That left veterans Sidy Sow and Chukwuma Okorafor at the same positions with Maye’s offensive line.
The Patriots have long maintained they are working to identify the best combination available to them. Excluding his handful of snaps in two practices over the weekend, it appears playing Mike Onwenu at right tackle is not currently part of those plans.
Robinson’s ascension is obviously noteworthy as a fourth-round rookie, but especially because he played mostly right guard in college. Meanwhile, Wallace is playing his old college position after dabbling at left tackle this summer.
Left tackle Vederian Lowe was at fault on one sack, getting beat by Deatrich Wise off the edge. Lowe also went 2-0 in individual pass rush, holding off likely cut candidates Jotham Russell and William Bradley-King.
Without backup center Nick Leverett, the Patriots had guard Liam Fornadel and undrafted rookie Charles Turner followed David Andrews in team periods.

Defensive notes

Foxboro, MA – New England Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux on the field during training camp at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Starting and second-string personnel during team periods: defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Keion White, Armon Watts, Daniel Ekuale, Trysten Hill, Sam Roberts and Jeremiah Pharms Jr.; linebackers Jahlani Tavai, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Christian Elliss, Joe Giles-Harris, William Bradley-King and Oshane Ximines; defensive backs Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Alex Austin, Jaylinn Hawkins, Isaiah Bolden, Azizi Hearn, Marco Wilson, Dell Pettus and Brenden Schooler.
Interceptions: None
Pass breakups: None
Would-be sacks: Godchaux, Wise, Pettus

Defensive linemen

A better day for this group in team drills than 1-on-1 pass rush. White, Wise and Godchaux all flashed at various times during 11-on-11s.
During individual rush, only Ekuale and White scored big wins. Ekuale snatched David Andrews during Andrews’ only rep in that period.
After 1-on-1 pass rush, the defensive line drilled two-man stunts and games.
Free-agent addition Armon Watts, who returned from a minor injury Monday, repped mostly with the third-string defense.

Linebackers

Until further notice, Anfernee Jennings can be counted as a starter in this group, along with Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai.
Behind Bentley, the race for the backup inside linebacker job appears tight. Joe Giles-Harris, a practice-squad player last year, started with the second unit, following recent strong days from Christian Elliss and Raekwon McMillan.
Sunday’s breakout pass-rusher, William Bradley-King, crashed down to earth with two losses in 1-on-1 pass rush Monday. He did not factor in team periods.

Defensive backs

Jonathan Jones assumed his old starting spot at outside cornerback opposite Christian Gonzalez in team drills. None of the younger corners behind him — Alex Austin, Marco Wilson or Isaiah Bolden — seemed ready to seize that job in his week-long injury absence.
Marcus Jones started at nickelback with the top defense. After giving up a couple grabs Sunday, he allowed a single catch to DeMario Douglas on a shallow cross Monday.
Isaiah Bolden continues taking reps in the slot, starting with the second-team defense at nickelback.
No shakeups at safety, where Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers remain entrenched as the starters and Jaylinn Hawkins, Joshuah Bledsoe and undrafted rookie Dell Pettus rotate behind them.
Pettus earned his sack blitzing Maye and coming unblocked between the right guard and right tackle at the start of Maye’s 1-minute drill.

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Special teams

As Joe Slye went 3-of-5 Monday, with both misses swinging wide right, incumbent kicker Chad Ryland finished 3-of-4. He made field goals from 45, 49 and 53 yards after missing an initial kick from 41.
Kick returners: WR Jalen Reagor, WR DeMario Douglas, WR K.J. Osborn, RB Antonio Gibson
Kick return team: S Brenden Schooler, LB Christian Elliss, LB William Bradley-King, S Dell Pettus, TE Jaheim Bell, TE La’Michael Pettway, CB Marcellas Dial, WR Javon Baker, OLB Anfernee Jennings
Punt returners: Reagor, Douglas, Osborn, WR Ja’Lynn Polk, DB Marcus Jones
Punt team: P Bryce Baringer, LS Joe Cardona, Schooler, Elliss, LB Jahlani Tavai, LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, S Jaylinn Hawkins, RB JaMycal Hasty, S Joshuah Bledsoe, LB Joe Giles-Harris

Extra points

The Patriots are off Tuesday and scheduled to return for a 1 p.m. practice Wednesday.
The team will begin following a regular-season schedule on Wednesday, with practices and meetings including game-like preparation for Sunday’s preseason finale at Washington.