Patriots Lose Fifth In A Row But They're Thrilled Because Drake Maye Might Be Good

Drake Maye's first NFL start started poorly because he missed on two of his first three passes, one of those was intercepted, and his team was trailing 14-0 by the time he got a chance to throw a fourth career pass in a 41-21 loss.

And if you're going to judge strictly by the results and the statistics that included three turnovers, then you'd have to admit Maye's debut wasn't exactly a thing of beauty.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 13: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots throws a pass in his first NFL start against the Houston Texans during the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 13, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Patriots Happy With Drake Maye Debut

So why were the Patriots pleased with their rookie quarterback after Sunday's blowout loss to the Houston Texans?

"I thought Drake made some good decisions out there," said coach Jerod Mayo. "I thought he had some great reads. I thought he tried to get the ball out of his hands. I thought he did a good job extending plays with his legs, picking up first downs. Just got to do better.

"We fully anticipate or expect him to be better going forward. It's his first start. Obviously, here at home, there were a lot of expectations. I thought he handled it well."

Mayo added that Maye's performance was "definitely encouraging" and that ultimately the team let the rookie down rather than the other way around.

And all that is correct. Maye's 3 TD passes have something to do with this – including a beautiful 40-yarder to Kayshon Boutte that you'll see a lot of replays of the next few days.

And maybe the 21 points the team scored, which is the most points by New England this season.

The point is the Patriots started their No. 1 draft pick at quarterback on Sunday and saw an upgrade from what veteran Jacoby Brissett had shown in five previous games.

So, yeah, good tidings.

Maye Solid Against Excellent Defense

It should be noted Maye didn't sound thrilled with his own outing.

"I wish I had some throws back, especially the first interception," Maye said. "I was a little amped at the start for sure … I've got some stuff I have to look back on and learn from. But I also thought we did some good things."

The fact is Maye would've been the NFL's biggest surprise of the day if he'd lifted the Patriots to victory. Or if he'd played like a latter-day C.J. Stroud as a rookie.

Because the Patriots were 1-4 coming into this game and pretty awful regardless of who is playing quarterback. And the Texans, meanwhile, are among the NFL's best defenses regardless of who they're playing against.

Let's understand that before this game, the Texans had the highest pressure rate of any team in the league, and they collected four sacks in this one. They had allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete only 52 percent of their passes this season. 

Maye completed 60.6% of his throws.

And his quarterback rating hovered around 104 late in the third quarter before he threw his second interception and finished at a 88.3 rating.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 13: Will Anderson Jr. #51 of the Houston Texans sacks Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium on October 13, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Maye vs. Caleb Williams Comparison

Let's also understand this is the second time this season the Texans have now played against two rookies from the 2024 draft class's record-tying six first-round quarterbacks.

Houston played against the Bears and No. 1pick Caleb Williams the second week of the season. The Texans won that game 19-13. And they gave Williams a really rough time.

The rookie completed 23 of 37 passes for 174 yards that day. He threw 2 interceptions. And finished with a 51.0 passer rating.

So Maye had a quantifiably better outing against Houston than his draft classmate.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 13: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots looks to pass in his first NFL start against the Houston Texans during the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 13, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Patriots Play Jaguars Next Week

Next week the Patriots travel to London to play the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

The Jaguars are terrible right now.

And that's something of an opportunity because Jacksonville's defense has been so bad this season, it would not surprise if they underwent a significant change this week.