Inside Drake Maye’s Patriots’ first start, a meeting that won confidence on his enticing — if rollercoaster — day

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As the New England Patriots moved into the two-minute drill, their rookie quarterback settled in.

Drake Maye knew it call collection. He knew the Houston Texans were playing man coverage and were moving toward him. And the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft knew that the receiver he warmed up with until the final substitution on his first series had called for a shot.

So Maye exploited the Texans’ belief that his first-quarter interception had calmed the passing game downfield. He exploited the separation he trusted Kayshon Boutte to find against another third overall pick, cornerback Derek Stingley.

Dropping back into a pocket cleaner than most of the Patriots’ pockets this year, Maye hauled in a 40-yard touchdown run to Boutte’s back shoulder.

“I felt like in this group we could push the ball down the field and make plays in the passing game,” Maye said. “I tried to let one roll and give Boutte a chance.

“That was my thinking: Give him a chance.”

THE The patriots did not win Maye’s first career start. The 41-21 loss to the Texans, now 5-1, showed New England how far it is from rallying around a highly drafted quarterback to compete like the Texans do with CJ Stroud.

And yet, Maye’s score for Boutte on his first touchdown could just as easily have described Maye’s role in his first professional start.

Give them a chance.

Even though the Texans outscored New England, Maye seemed intent on doing just that.

New England head coach Jerod Mayo praised the way Maye controlled the huddle and read the defense, the quarterback’s ceiling flashing even as his floor shook at times.

The Patriots have a long way to go – but against the Texans, Maye hinted at how far he could take them.

“It’s really encouraging,” Mayo said. “From a whole team perspective right now, we let him down. It was his first match and I feel like I let him down.

“We just have to be better.”

Maye’s ceiling and floor sparked a different Patriots style than Brissett

THE Patriots’ decision to start Maye this week was controversial.

Few disputed the fact that their offense was struggling with veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett. But was the worst passing team, second-worst scoring team, and worst pass protection unit in the league really willing to back draft capital?

Decisions like this have ruined quarterbacks.

Maye wasn’t immune to rookie moments, from his initial three-and-out to sacks that seemed to surprise him and a case of happy feet that resulted in an illegal pass downfield.

“I was a little excited at first, for sure,” Maye said.

But gradually he began to realize how he could have controlled the ball the moment he threw it. He realized that passers like Will Anderson Jr. could tip balls well enough to set up interceptions and that misses or miscommunication on a DeMario Douglas overthrow in the first quarter would also literally play into his hands of the opponent.

“I missed the top a little bit, and you can’t miss the top middle in this league,” Maye said.

He faced Texans rookie safety Caden Bullock on the 29-yard return.

But even though a day of two interceptions and two fumbles had Houston scoring 17 points on turnovers alone, Maye also sparked the Patriots’ offense in a way she hadn’t seen all season.

Maye’s initial touchdown to Boutte traveled 51.7 air yards, according to new generation statisticslongest completion by a Patriots QB in the last three seasons.

His 6-yard touchdown run to Henry seemed to reflect a defense respecting mobility that he propelled to a team-high 38 rushing yards, with Maye picking up three first downs on five carries in the absence of Rhamondre Stevenson due to a foot injury.

In all, Maye found three different receivers for touchdowns, giving Boutte the first of his season and Douglas the first of his 20-game career.

The quarterback was proud to find Douglas in stride for the score after the previous interception on an earlier Douglas target. Why not bounce back with an explosive second touchdown?

Maye and his receivers took extra reps each day after practice and were eager to translate them on game day.

“At times it was a lot of fun on offense,” Maye said. “That’s what I told the guys at the end: We’ve got the guys in the group. We just need to make some extra plays and play complementary football.

Internal meeting that helped Maye build trust – and where the Patriots go from here

Dating back to training camp, Maye’s creative arm angles and mastery of scrambling drills have impressed the Patriots.

But until this week, his rotating crew of offensive linemen had limited insight into the quarterback’s mental acuity.

Did the 22-year-old understand the why of the games, or did he simply have the physical gifts to excel regardless? How well did he understand the protections?

On Wednesday, Maye’s protectors got a crash course. He led their pressure meeting after practice and blew them away.

“For a rookie to come in and run that meeting was impressive,” left tackle Zach Thomas told Yahoo Sports. “He was just running the show (which) creates a lot of confidence.”

Three different linemen discussed how Maye handled checks with his centers (the Patriots have already started three this year), how his linemen would slide to deal with some of Houston’s pressures and what assignments they would counter the twists with Texas rushers.

Left guard Michael Jordan described Maye’s presence at the meeting as “assertive” and “confident,” ensuring that Brissett’s standard set did not falter.

Sidelined center Nick Leverett (ankle) reflected on the previous week when Maye asked Leverett to explain a call he made to Brissett. Maye then realized he knew the answer.

“So as soon as I started saying it, he finished it and I was like, ‘OK, okay, maybe you know,'” Leverett told Yahoo Sports. “As a veteran, I was around veteran quarterbacks: Tom (Brady), Jacoby, Baker (Mayfield). Just to see how much knowledge he has, that’s good.

“For being so young, he is very intelligent.”

Perhaps that sharpness contributed to the decrease in pressure rate the Patriots saw compared to the high-pressure Texans, with TruMedia recording New England’s pass blockers as allowing a 33.3 percent pressure rate. after Brissett absorbed pressure at a rate of 50%.

Maye knew he still had to find more success on first and second downs to avoid the third-and-longs that condemned the Patriots to a 3-of-13 day in the third. But he also gave the Patriots a season-high 243 passing yards and 291 total yards, with Maye’s three touchdown passes in one game surpassing the two Brissett had thrown in five outings.

The Patriots needed to look no further than their opponent of the day to dream of best-case scenarios for the remainder of Maye’s rookie year.

Stroud arrived in Houston last year as a top-three pick on a similarly struggling Texas team, losing his rookie debut when he threw for 242 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

It didn’t take long before he threw 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, his Offensive Rookie of the Year season catapulting Houston from 3-13-1 to division champion.

Will Maye follow Stroud’s path? The Patriots supporting cast and NFL history call that premise into question.

But Stroud’s entry into the league is a testament to how far a rookie can go from his first start to the end of his rookie year, much less the end of his career.

Stroud’s advice to Maye: focus on achievements, positivity, elevating his supporting cast and discipline.

“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Stroud said. “You will have bad days. You will have good days. There are days when you’ll look at yourself and say, “Man, I’m the worst quarterback in the world.” But it’s always about getting up the next day to keep going. »

In an on-court exchange after the game, Stroud encouraged Maye.

“I told him how much I believed in him,” Stroud said, “and I hope to see him succeed in this league.”