Maye day could turn into Maye’s year as Patriots rookie shows promise in first NFL start

The New England Patriots might just have reason for optimism again.

Five years after Tom Brady played his last game in a Patriots uniform and three seasons after rookie Mac Jones led them to their only playoff appearance since Brady left, Drake Maye awakened the New England offense against the Houston Texans.

It wasn’t nearly enough: The Patriots lost 41-21, their fifth straight defeat. But the 21 points was the most they had scored all season, and Maye also threw for more yards and more touchdowns than Jacoby Brissett had in any of the first five games. (Alas, the 41 points was also the most New England had given up.)

“I was a little amped at the start, for sure,” said Maye, who had appeared in one game in mop-up duty but was making his first career NFL start. “We’ve got some stuff to look back and learn from, but I also feel like we did some good things.”

After trying for three seasons to rebuild from the Brady era with Jones, a 2021 first-round draft pick, the Patriots gave up on him — and six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick — and went back to the draft to select Maye third overall.

But while the Nos. 1 and 2 picks, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, were immediate starters and were already showing success in Chicago and Washington, the Patriots left Maye on the bench for five games to learn behind Brissett.

After opening the season 1-4 behind the journeyman, coach Jerod Mayo made the change.

Maye completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns — the first time New England surpassed 160 passing yards in a game this season. Maye also gave the ball away on a strip-sack and threw two interceptions.

The progress was evident even as the game went on.

After going three-and-out on his first drive and throwing an interception on his second, he picked up a few first downs on the following possessions and led the Patriots to a touchdown in the final minute of the first half.

“He’s like a natural leader,” receiver Kendrick Bourne said. “He has aura. That’s important in football. Some people have aura, some people don’t, so he’s kind of one of those. He doesn’t have to try, he’s that guy.

“When he’s in the huddle, he knows what he’s doing,” he said. “You can feel it. It’s important.”

What’s working

The two-minute drill.

Maye drove the Patriots 84 yards for a touchdown after taking over at their 16-yard line with 59 seconds left in the first half. He hit Demario Douglas for 22 yards to get some breathing room, then connected with Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard score.

“I think the two-minute time is a great time for a quarterback to kind of get some passes and get some plays that we’re comfortable with under my belt,” Maye said. “Just get the guys the ball, and that’s the biggest thing I’ve got to do: Get them the ball and let them make plays.”

What needs help

Minimizing damage.

The Texans had two plays that went for more than 50 yards on Sunday: Joe Mixon’s 59-yard second-quarter run that flipped the field (but did not result in Houston points), and Dameon Pierce’s 54-yard touchdown run in the fourth.

“Big plays killed us,” Mayo said. “You take those away and it looks a lot better, but at the same time, that’s what the NFL is. You’ve got to limit those big plays, and then offensively, we have to make big plays.”

The Texans had three runs for at least 20 yards in all, and three more 20-yard pass plays. New England had some big plays of its own, including 40- and 35-yard touchdown passes.

Stock up

With their sixth offensive line combination in as many games, the Patriots might have found some stability after signing center Ben Brown off the Las Vegas practice squad during the week. He replaced Nick Leverett, who was elevated to the starting lineup when longtime center David Andrews was injured. Leverett was cut on Monday.

“I’ve never seen it before: A guy being able to come in here after four or five days and become the starting center,” Mayo said. “I would say he probably was our best lineman yesterday, and he did a good job for us. He did a good job all through the week during practice, and then went out there and performed pretty well.”

Stock down

The running game didn’t do much. Maye was the leading rusher, picking up 38 yards on five carries. With Rhamondre Stevenson out due to a foot injury, Antonio Gibson carried most of the load and gained 19 yards on 13 carries. Take away Maye, and the Patriots averaged about 2 yards per rush.

Injuries

T Vederian Lowe left the game in the first half with an ankle injury and was scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

Key number

3 — Maye’s three TD passes in his first career start was quicker than Brady, who did it in his fourth. Mac Jones did it in his 10th and Drew Bledsoe threw for four in his 13th.

What’s next

The Patriots travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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