The New England Patriots suffered their fifth consecutive defeat Sunday with a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. But in some ways, the final score was not very important.
This Week 6 matchup was about Drake Maye -- the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the Patriots' potential franchise quarterback for years to come. The University of North Carolina quarterback made his first career start Sunday, and after a lackluster beginning to the game that included an interception on the team's second offensive possession, the rookie QB started to hit his stride.
Maye completed 20-of-33 pass attempts for 243 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble lost. There were a lot of good plays on the tape. The passing attack looked much better than previous weeks. In fact, Maye's three touchdown passes Sunday are one more than veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett had in the first five games combined.
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But when Maye was asked to assess his performance after the game, the first thing he mentioned was turnovers.
"I think we just hurt ourselves today. I think that's the biggest thing," Maye said in his postgame press conference. "I think we put the defense in bad spots, and with how good our defense is, that's the last thing we can do. We can't – when the ball is in the red zone, giving the other team the ball in the red zone just makes it hard on them.
"It starts with me, and I wish I could have some throws back, and especially the first interception. But yeah, after the touchdown, felt like kind of we were back in it. Coming out of halftime, there goes another turnover in the red zone. Just kept hurting ourselves, and in this league, these teams are too good to do that.
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"But some great stuff to watch on film. Sometimes out there it was a lot of fun on offense. That's what I told the guys in the huddle at the end, we got the guys in the huddle: We've just got to make a few more plays and play complementary football. That's what coach (Jerod) Mayo will just preach, play complementary football, and we didn't do that today."
The turnovers did hurt -- the Texans scored 17 points off these mistakes.
But there was plenty to be excited about from the Patriots' perspective. Maye made a ton of good throws, and there were none better than his 40-yard strike to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for the Patriots' first touchdown just before halftime.
It was a phenomenal throw.
.@DrakeMaye2's first @NFL TD is to @KayshonBoutte1 🏈
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 13, 2024
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Oi7BpFvq6H
"They came out and challenged us and played in man so tried to let one ride and give Boutte a chance," Maye said. "He made a nice play, and it was pretty cool. I think both of our first touchdowns, so pretty cool moment. I felt like in this group we can push the ball down the field and make plays in the passing game, so we've just got to keep repping it and see what you like and I’ve got to make the throws, that’s the bottom line. Make better throws."
The Patriots are 1-5 and sit at the bottom of the AFC standings. The chances of this team making a run and competing for a playoff spot in the second half of the season are extremely slim, to say the least.
The goal for the rest of the campaign should be to develop the team's young players and determine how they fit into the future plans of the organization. Maye, as the quarterback of the present and future, is the top priority. If he improves a little bit every week, the Patriots will be in great shape, even if the losses keep piling up.