Drake Maye breathed new life into the New England Patriots' offense Sunday afternoon.
The 22-year-old rookie quarterback completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns -- more than Jacoby Brissett threw in the previous five games combined -- in the Patriots' 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans. And despite the lopsided score, those three touchdowns represented a step in the right direction for the NFL's worst offense.
There's still a long road ahead, however, particularly at the wide receiver position.
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On the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Patriots Insiders Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry shared their "Stock Up" and "Stock Down" selections for New England, highlighting two players who exceeded expectations and two players who came up short. And there was a young receiver in each category.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Big day for Maye-niacs as Pats rookie goes off in first start | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Here is Curran and Perry's "Stock Watch" for Week 6:
Stock Up
Drake Maye, quarterback
Maye became the first NFL quarterback since at least 1950 to throw three touchdown passes and lead his team in rushing (five carries for 38 yards). The rookie also committed three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble), but the positives outweighed the negatives Sunday.
Perry: "To me, he exceeded expectations against one of the better NFL defenses in 2024. No, it wasn't perfect. Bad pick to start, a couple of sacks -- but encouraging."
Kayshon Boutte, wide receiver
Boutte secured Maye's first NFL TD pass just before halftime by burning Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. for a 40-yard score. He finished the day with three catches for 59 yards -- both career highs for the second-year wideout out of LSU.
Curran: "He is a consistent, dependable receiver who, when the ball hits his hands, it gets secured. ... He had his issues in the offseason, but he's a good wide receiver ... and I think he's a worthwhile wide receiver."
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Stock Down
Ja'Lynn Polk, Wide receiver
Polk continues to struggle catching the football; the rookie receiver secured just one of his four targets Sunday for a total of four yards and has caught just 10 passes on 23 targets (43.5 percent catch rate) through six games.
Perry: "Catch the ball. What's going on? Is it in his head at this point? This is now I feel like multiple weeks where we've had catch issues with him."
Austin Hooper, tight end
Hooper had just one catch for five yards Sunday and committed a brutal turnover in the third quarter when he placed ball on the ground to keep himself upright, only to be stripped seconds later.
Perry: "That's a tough one right there. You're using the ball actually to hold yourself up. I'm not sure they coach that at any level. Lo and behold, that thing was pretty loose, and by the time a defender got to him, it was out.
"It's just tough because they trust him so much. ... That trust has to be punctured a bit after that play."
DEFENSE EATING 🍽️
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 13, 2024
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