How Jacoby Brissett could help the Patriots after being named Commanders' starting quarterback

FOXBORO -- Jacoby Brissett wasn't in New England for very long but the quarterback was well-liked among teammates and fans. Patriots fans will really be rooting for Brissett this weekend when he leads the Washington Commanders against the San Francisco 49ers.

Brissett has been named Washington's starter for Week 17, officially replacing the struggling Sam Howell under center. Brissett has come on in relief of Howell in back-to-back games, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. 

The former Patriots backup nearly led the Commanders to a comeback win over the Jets in Week 16, connecting on 10 of his 13 pass attempts for 100 yards and a go-ahead touchdown with under five minutes to play. But New York was able to kick a game-winning field goal with just five seconds left on the clock, dropping the Commanders to 4-11 on the season.

Patriots fans will be hoping that Brisestt -- a third-round pick by Bill Belichick in 2016 -- can lead the Commanders to a win on Sunday. New England and Washington are both 4-11 on the season, but the Commanders currently own the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft because of the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker. A Washington upset on Sunday, and a New England loss to the Bills in Buffalo, would put the Patriots back in the top three of next year's draft heading into the final week of the regular season.

Brissett is 18-30 in his career as a starter for the Patriots (two games), the Colts, the Dolphins, the Browns, and now the Commanders. Beating the 11-4 Niners won't be easy, but Patriots fans will certainly be pulling for Tom Brady's former backup to pull it off on Sunday.