Here are some observations and trinkets (aka NickNacks) that came to mind while watching the New England Patriots play the Los Angeles Chargers:

— Uh-oh. Another injury scare for Drake Maye. The rookie quarterback was hit in the helmet by Chargers CB Cam Hart during a fight in the first quarter and was eventually sent to the locker room. It was declared questionable whether he would return due to a head injury.

– Replays showed that Maye had left the field a moment before the goal was taken. Additionally, Hart came out of the bench area and lowered his helmet to hit Maye in the side of the head. Was it a close exchange on the sidelines? Secure. But we saw officials raise a flag because other quarterbacks were breathing too hard on the sidelines. Maye hasn’t been able to get flags like that from the referees all season.

– As a reminder, Maye was shot in the head by Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood as he slipped late in a scramble. Sherwood was also not mentioned in this game.

– The NFL ended up penalizing Sherwood anyway, fining him $6,354 for the hit a week later. Don’t be surprised if Hart receives a similar fine.

– Here’s the thing: Officials ultimately assessed a penalty for a hit on Maye. This was a scramble in which Maye slipped and was hit with his helmet. It wasn’t so much a hit as a flop with Chargers linebacker Junior Colson leading Maye. Nevertheless, the officials considered it a blow to the head and flagged it. It seemed to be the ultimate catch-up decision after the referees missed the goal on the sidelines.

-The real problem is that Maye was hit on the sideline where he didn’t really have a chance for a first down. Then on his first play, Maye slipped so late that a linebacker hit his head. The newbie needs to be better at avoiding contact.

– The boos came out almost immediately after Jacoby Brissett came into the game to replace Maye. They started when Antonio Gibson was stuffed on a first-down run. Things got worse when Brissett missed a third-down pass to Pop Douglas.

– Maye wasn’t the only rising star to leave the game with a head injury. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez suffered a concussion and was out for the remainder of the game.

— Apparently Maye is having trouble moving her back backwards. The rookie completely botched a play – to the point where it wasn’t clear who got the ball. Maye threw the ball in no man’s land between Douglas and running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Instead, it was Chargers safety Derwin James who invented the ball.

– Cole Strange is back! The former first-round pick returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury last year. He replaced the injured Ben Brown at center.

– Rookie Caedan Wallace was active again. However, the Patriots stuck with Demontrey Jacobs despite his recent struggles.

– Also notable in the starting lineup: Running back Rhamondre Stevenson started. This came after Jerod Mayo said on the radio that Stevenson would not start because of recent ball security issues. That was a strange development.

– The Patriots took a moment to honor former wide receiver Randy Moss, who recently announced he is battling cancer. It was a nice gesture from the team.

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