The New England Patriots were blown out on their home field by the Houston Texans on Sunday, but the 41-21 final score doesn't tell the whole story. Drake Maye left many feeling encouraged after his first NFL start.
The rookie quarterback recorded three touchdowns in the Week 6 matchup, including a beautiful 40-yard dime to Kayshon Boutte for his first career TD pass. His 243 passing yards marked the most by a Patriots QB since Mac Jones' 268-yard performance in Week 7 of last season vs. Buffalo.
Maye also showcased his athleticism with a team-high 38 rushing yards on five carries. While he experienced some growing pains with two interceptions and four sacks (including a strip-sack), the third-overall pick showed enough upside to bring much-needed optimism to New England despite the team's fifth straight loss.
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NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insider Tom E. Curran shared his positive takeaway from Maye's performance on Postgame Live.
"Can you be an ascending team after losing your fifth straight game, this one by 20 points?" Curran asked. "Because I think the Patriots could be an ascending team right now, at least in watchability. I couldn't have ordered up another 13-6 loss watching the same movie.
"Drake Maye exceeded expectations in a number of ways. I kind of thought that he would play better than people anticipated. He played even better than I thought he would.
"Now, am I saying that he played perfectly? Absolutely not. But I think a lot of his mistakes were byproducts of the protection around him and youthfulness. But I will point this out: He carried the ball five times for 38 yards. The Patriots as a team carried it for 44 yards the entire day between their other three running backs. You showed great toughness, you took a hell of a hit on that strip-sack. Next series, he was out there playing again. There's a lot to like about what Drake Maye did today."
Former Pats linebacker Ted Johnson seconded Curran's take, stating that Maye showed promise despite having to overcome his a woeful offensive line and a "non-existent" running game.
"I think most people are gonna probably come away from this loss feeling hopeful for the first time," Johnson said. "You get a taste of maybe what the future holds. ... You saw his athleticism, you saw his toughness, you saw his accuracy on that pass right before the first half ended to Kayshon Boutte.
"You saw a lot of good things from him, you saw some bad things, but mostly I think people are gonna walk away from this feeling pretty hopeful, his teammates included.
"He didn't get much help today. When you look at the offensive line, it was kind of a mess like it's been all season. But the running game was really non-existent for this football team. So he didn't have a lot of help. I mean, he was in a lot of third-and-long situations and he did the best he could. So I'm pretty hopeful. I would think the Patriots fans after watching this game are pretty hopeful. Even though it was a drubbing for the Patriots, you still come away feeling pretty good at the quarterback position."
The Houston Texans, now 5-1 on the season, presented a tough first test for Maye. Next week, the 22-year-old will have a far easier matchup against the 1-5 Jacksonville Jaguars in London. The Jags are coming off a 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Watch the Patriots Postgame Live crew's full reaction to Maye's first NFL start below, or on YouTube: