And now we have to wonder what this means for the rest of the season. But please, if this is any indication that coach Jerod Mayo is ready to give his beloved rookie more playing time, one look at the scoreboard — a 24-3 Jets victory that wasn’t nearly as close as the score would indicate — should put that thought to rest immediately.

Is there a quarterback controversy?

“I don’t know,” Mayo said. “We talk about it every week, you’re competing for a job. We get together as a coaching staff and see where it goes.”

To which Brissett said, “I mean, I don’t make personnel decisions.”

Maye shouldn’t have to be subjected to what Brissett went through on Thursday. Five sacks, tons of hits, no time to think, no time to throw.

Not that the veteran Brissett didn’t try. There he was midway through the second quarter, fighting for his football life, this time caught by Chuck Clark, who came up on a safety blitz and shoved the quarterback through a turnstile. Brissett refused to lie down, fighting to keep his legs upright long enough to sidestep the ball into the hands of running back Antonio Gibson.

But it was all in vain, as officials had already blown their whistles, signaling that Brissett’s forward progress had been halted. The play ended in a 9-yard sack, and one of the most promising Patriots offensive possessions of the night was marred, ending with Joey Slye’s 44-yard field goal.

Those turned out to be the only Patriot points. The numbers were horrific — 27 Jets first downs to the Patriots’ 11, 40:04 possession time for New York to New England’s 19:56. The Jets had 400 total net yards to the Patriots’ 139. The Jets ran 70 offensive plays to the Patriots’ 48. One fumble lost for the visitors to the Jets’ no turnovers.

Brissett was in charge for most of the game, but behind a porous offensive line, without strong receiving targets and playing from behind thanks to a defense that missed tackles all night, he had no chance to make a difference. With nowhere to go, taking hits week after week, keeping the pocket warm until it’s safe to give the full-time job to Maye, the big-money rookie, third-overall pick and eventual franchise quarterback.

For the veteran Brissett, the job has always been about closing the gap on Maye and keeping the offense viable enough to keep the team in games. For two weeks, the plan worked well enough, with a Week 1 upset in Cincinnati followed by an overtime loss at home to Seattle, games in which Brissett didn’t do much statistically but more than proved his toughness and intelligence. He held his ground. He moved the pocket. He ran when he had to and found quick outlets.

But after three weeks, the picture is getting uglier. The Patriots shouldn’t even consider keeping their beloved prospect in this mess. Instead, they should consider not having him as Brissett’s backup. Because there are many more games like this coming, and the 31-year-old professional will hand the ball to Maye, not by choice of the coaching staff, but by necessity of the medical staff. He’s getting beat up and abused every game.

“You never want your quarterback to get hit,” Mayo acknowledged after Seattle’s loss. “We’ve got to do a better job of our pass pro up front, and we’ve got to keep him clean, because even if he doesn’t get hit — or any quarterback, for that matter — when they’re back there and they feel like there’s people around them, it’s always going to affect you a little bit.”

You mean it can be worse than this? Ouch.

Mayo can only hope the rest of his Brissett analysis holds up better than his offensive line.

“I’ve always said Jacoby is a great leader, he’s a competitor, but he’s also a very strong player, mentally and physically,” Mayo said. “We’ll try to keep him clean going forward, but look, he’s got shoulder pads on, just like everybody else, so we’ll see how it goes.”

In other words, there is no cavalry on the way. This is what the Patriots attack is, and it is more futile than we thought.

Meanwhile, as Brissett clings to life, his counterpart is emerging Thursday night. Aaron Rodgers, playing his first home game since tearing his Achilles just four plays into his debut season with the Jets last year, had by far his best game of the three games this season. In some ways, the 40-year-old Rodgers is no different from Brissett, having joined a new team late in his career. But with his MVP, Super Bowl-winning arm and mobile, agile legs, his role isn’t about bridging the gap with a younger version of himself.

He’s here to win and on Thursday, as he looked more comfortable despite playing in his third game in 11 days to open the season, he reminded the Patriots once again how different the two franchises’ stories are right now.

Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @Globe_Tara.