FOXBORO, Mass. — For better or worse, the Patriots began a new era on Sunday afternoon.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye got his first NFL start but New England was outclassed by the Houston Texans, suffering an ugly 41-21 loss at Gillette Stadium. Maye experienced highs and lows while completing 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns to go along with two interceptions and a fumble. He also was sacked four times.
“I thought he showed a lot of poise,” head coach Jerod Mayo said after the game. “I thought he went out there and controlled the huddle, got those guys out of the huddle and once again, made some plays. It’s definitely encouraging. From a team-wide perspective right now, we let him down. It was his first game, and I feel like I let him down.”
Let’s look at six takeaways from Maye’s highly anticipated debut.
How Did Drake Maye Fare in His First Start for the Patriots?
Early Nerves
On Wednesday, Maye revealed he told teammates not to be surprised if he looked nervous early in his first start. And give the rookie credit — he doesn’t lack self-awareness.
Maye did look nervous in the first quarter, badly overthrowing two of his first three passes. The second resulted in an ugly interception to safety Calen Bullock, whom Maye tackled to prevent a pick-six.
CALEN BULLOCK INT 🔐
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/4ewEK9U2st
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 13, 2024
Maye appeared to settle down as the game progressed but never looked fully comfortable. He looked jittery in the pocket and at times seemed unsure of himself.
That said, the deck was stacked against Maye, which brings us to our next takeaway.
An Impossible Situation
At the end of the day, Maye didn’t have a shot in this game.
He took snaps from center Ben Brown, who was signed off the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad on Wednesday. New England’s beleaguered offensive line took another hit in the second quarter when Vederian Lowe left the game due to an ankle injury.
Maye played most of the game with this offensive line:
Left tackle: Zach Thomas
Left guard: Michael Jordan (injured in the fourth quarter)
Center: Ben Brown
Right guard: Mike Onwenu
Right tackle: Demontrey Jacobs
For those keeping score at home, that’s two players who began the season on practice squads, two players who were claimed off waivers after training camp, and a Pro Bowl-caliber guard. That’s a brutal O-line for any quarterback to play behind, let alone a rookie making his first start.
Maye took multiple big hits, and the consistent pressure appeared to speed up the rookie, leading to a few rushed/errant throws.
Glimpses of Dual-Threat Ability
Maye showcased his athletic playmaking ability on multiple plays, including a short completion to Kendrick Bourne on a play-action rollout and scrambles of 11 and 15 yards. The dual-threat QB finished with a team-high 38 rushing yards.
Maye makes the move to extend the play!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/abd0kk3shJ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 13, 2024
Maye sprinkled those kinds of plays throughout the game and used his legs to buy more time when pressured. However, he also put himself in harm’s way more often than Patriots coaches would like.
Regardless, it’s easy to dream big about a quarterback who’s built for the modern NFL.
Big Arm
Maye has more raw arm talent than any Patriots quarterback since Drew Bledsoe. (Relax, we’re not saying he’s more talented than Tom Brady).
The flow of the game rarely allowed Maye to plant his feet and sling it. But the UNC product showed off his impressive arm strength on a 40-yard touchdown time to Kayshon Boutte in the final minute of the first half.
Drake Maye DIME for his first career touchdown pass!
📺: #HOUvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/psTLjZvOoK— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
Will New England’s offensive line give Maye enough time to make more explosive plays in future games? That remains to be seen — but we have our doubts.
Is an Injury Inevitable?
Maye was slow to get up after multiple hits, including the one that caused his fumble on the first drive of the second half. Maye limped off the field and saw attention from Patriots trainers but returned for the next drive.
Drake Maye is strip-sacked. The #Texans recover the ball. pic.twitter.com/Bdcemwq3Ob
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) October 13, 2024
Patriots fans have good reason to fear for Maye’s safety behind New England’s offensive line. It feels like just a matter of time before the rookie takes a hit that sends him to the blue medical tent.
The Patriots understood the risk when they decided to start Maye and bench Jacoby Brissett. All they can do is cross their fingers and hope they don’t regret it.
Resilient
Midway through the first quarter, it looked as if Maye and the Patriots would be blown out of their own building. And the final score doesn’t reflect how poorly Jerod Mayo’s team played.
That said, Maye battled through bone-crunching hits and back-breaking turnovers to keep the Patriots competitive. He was especially impressive late in the third quarter on a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a six-yard Hunter Henry touchdown.
.@DrakeMaye2 goes to @Hunter_Henry84 for 6️⃣
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/qZE46niPyV
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 13, 2024
The game felt over at the start of the drive, but Maye drove the offense down the field and pulled the Patriots within 14 points.
Maye faced more adversity after throwing a fluky interception on his next drive. But, after Houston scored another touchdown, Maye responded by leading the Patriots on another TD drive.
It was an inconsistent afternoon for Maye, but there’s plenty for the rookie to build on.
