It's finally happening: The Drake Maye era begins Sunday when the New England Patriots host the Houston Texans in a Week 6 game at Gillette Stadium.
Maye will make his first career start against the AFC South leader, per multiple reports Tuesday, including NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry.
The Patriots started veteran Jacoby Brissett at quarterback in each of the first five games, and the results were not good, to say the least. New England ranks last in the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completion percentage. Brissett did not reach the 200-yard mark in any game.
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There will be plenty of growing pains for Maye -- just like any other rookie QB. But just how much of a challenge does the Texans defense present this weekend?
Simply put, it will be a tough one for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Texans pass defense is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete just 51.7 percent of their pass attempts, which ranks No. 1 in the league. Houston also is allowing the third-fewest passing yards per game and the eighth-lowest opposing QB rating.
Here's a quick stat recap of the five quarterbacks who have played against the Houston defense through five weeks:
- Week 1 vs. Colts, Anthony Richardson: 9-of-19, 212 yards, two TDs, one INT
- Week 2 vs. Bears, Caleb Williams: 23-of-37, 174 yards, zero TDs, two INT
- Week 3 at Vikings, Sam Darnold: 17-of-28, 181 yards, four TDs, zero INT
- Week 4 vs. Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence: 18-of-33, 169 yards, two TDs, zero INT
- Week 5 vs. Bills, Josh Allen: 9-of-30, 131 yards, one TD, zero INT
- Total: 51.7 completion percentage, 154.6 yards per game, nine TDs, three INT, 81.6 QB rating
The Texans defense made Bills quarterback Josh Allen look like a below-average quarterback last week. He completed just nine passes for 131 yards. Allen has completed fewer than 10 passes just one other time since 2021.
Maye will be the second rookie QB the Houston defense has played against this season. The first was Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in Week 2, and the Texans pressured him on 48 percent of his dropbacks and sacked him seven times. We should expect the Texans to be similarly aggressive against Maye.
The Texans defense blitzed Caleb Williams on 41.7% of his dropbacks (20 times), the unit's highest blitz rate in a game under DeMeco Ryans.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 16, 2024
The Texans generated 12 pressures and 5 sacks when blitzing, with nine defenders finishing with multiple pressures.
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The Texans pass rush has 15 sacks, which is tied for the seventh-most in the league. Houston is also one of only three teams with two players who have tallied 20 or more pressures (Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter). The Patriots offensive line -- arguably the team's most glaring weakness so far -- has allowed the highest pressure rate and the third-highest sack rate through five games. Brissett was sacked 17 times in five games, which was the third-highest total during that span.
Starting Maye is the right choice. The offense couldn't generate much of anything in the passing game with Brissett as the quarterback. But it's not going to be easy for Maye on Sunday. The Texans have one of the league's best defenses. Maye will need to make quick decisions and take care of the football for the Patriots to have any chance of winning.