Drake Maye Has Encouraging First Start for Patriots in Loss to Texans

In his first career start, Drake Maye received encouragement from fellow high draft pick C.J. Stroud after the New England Patriots fell to the Houston Texans on Sunday. Stroud, who was selected second overall last year, empathized with Maye, the third overall pick in the recent draft, as he faced a challenging debut.

While Stroud lost his first two starts before leading the Texans to the playoffs, the Patriots (1-5) are unlikely to replicate such a turnaround given their current struggles. Despite the 41-21 loss, Maye's performance offered a glimmer of hope. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 243 yards, finishing with an 88.3 passer rating and three touchdown passes, surpassing the five-game total of Jacoby Brissett, whose struggles led to Maye's promotion to starter.

“I was a little amped at the start for sure. The guys around me were great trying to settle me down, and Jacoby was a big part of that,” Maye said.

Maye took his first snap as a starting quarterback at 9:08 in the first quarter, receiving a warm ovation from the Gillette Stadium crowd upon his introduction. “It gave me goosebumps going out there for the first time,” he remarked. “I'm in a great spot with the Patriots here and playing quarterback in the NFL.”

The rookie's debut featured a blend of highlights and learning opportunities. He threw an interception early in the game but later connected with DeMario Douglas for a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. “I love how he gained confidence throughout the game, and I thought it was a good first game for him,” Douglas stated.

Maye also provided fans with optimism late in the first half, delivering a precise 40-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte that narrowed the score to 14-7. “His competitiveness was great,” said tight end Hunter Henry, who caught a touchdown from Maye in the third quarter.

In addition to his passing, Maye led the team with 38 rushing yards, demonstrating his ability to extend plays in an offense that has struggled since its season opener against Cincinnati. However, he acknowledged the need to improve his ball security after a fumble resulted from one of Houston's four sacks.

“I think I took a couple sacks where I could have thrown it away or thrown check-downs instead of getting a sack,” Maye noted. “Just kept hurting ourselves, and in this league, these teams are too good to do that. But some great stuff to watch on film.”

Following the game, Stroud offered Maye words of encouragement, advising him to stay true to himself. “Just be yourself, you know. Everything that got you here will take care of where you want to go and really just trust yourself. Trust that you'll eventually figure it out. You'll have bad days. You'll have good days. There are days where you'll look at yourself like, man, I'm the worst quarterback in the world, but it's always about getting up the next day and keep going,” Stroud expressed. “I thought he played really solid. Definitely feel like he'll get better and better as he keeps going.”