FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Drake Maye era began in a predictable fashion on Sunday.
Making his first NFL start, the rookie quarterback experienced highs and lows as the New England Patriots suffered a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans. Honestly, the game didn’t feel that close.
Drake Maye Inconsistent in First Patriots Start
Maye completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns to go along with two interceptions and a fumble. He made some big plays, including a 40-yard TD throw to Kayshon Boutte, but also made plenty of rookie mistakes.
To the surprise of nobody, Maye, who took four sacks, dealt with relentless pressure from Houston’s formidable front seven.
DeMario Douglas led Patriots pass-catchers with six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Kayshon Boutte (three catches, 59 yards) and Hunter Henry (three catches, 41 yards) also scored. Maye led the Patriots with 38 rushing yards, including scrambles of 11, 15, and six yards.
Turnovers killed the Patriots in this game. In the second half, Houston began scoring drives from New England’s 10-, 31-, and 26-yard lines. That’s not winning football.
The Patriots’ depleted defense had few answers for C.J. Stroud and the wildly talented Texans offense.
Stroud completed 20 of 31 passes for 192 yards and three TDs to go along with one interception. Stefon Diggs caught six balls for 77 yards and a TD, with Tank Dell adding seven catches for 57 yards and a score.
Running back Joe Mixon had a big game in his return from an ankle injury, rushing for 102 yards and a TD to go along with two catches for 30 yards and a score.
Overall, Houston racked up 368 yards of total offense compared to 291 for the Patriots. The Texans earned more first downs (20 to 17) and were better on third downs. New England committed nine penalties for 50 yards compared to four penalties for 38 yards by the Texans.
The Patriots dropped to 1-5 with the loss while the Texans improved to 5-1 with the win. New England will play the Jacksonville Jaguars in London next Sunday.
Let’s look at three studs and three duds from Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium.
Best Players for the Patriots in Loss to Texans
S Marte Mapu
The second-year hybrid defender performed well for the second consecutive week, outside of a few plays and a (very) questionable pass-interference penalty in the first quarter.
Mapu delivered multiple big hits, including a half-sack, and his sticky coverage created Marcus Jones’ end-zone interception in the first half. He was all over the field.
25 bringing it the OTHER WAY!@MarcusJonesocho | #NEPats
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/4BIt8tr7wY
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 13, 2024
Mapu entered the NFL with a reputation for being a physical, hard-hitting playmaker, but he often appeared to be thinking too much as a rookie, causing him to play too slowly. Despite missing the first four games, he appears to be playing at a higher tempo and with much more confidence this season.
Mapu finished the game with five tackles, a half-sack, and one pass breakup.
WR Kayshon Boutte
Boutte deserves a ton of credit.
He was drafted with alleged off-field concerns, didn’t play much as a rookie, and endured gambling-related legal issues last offseason. But since arriving in New England, all he’s done is work hard, practice well, and earn the respect of his teammates and coaches.
It’s all led to an increased role over the last few weeks, with Boutte earning more playing time by blocking well and running good routes. And Sunday saw Boutte deliver his biggest play as a pro: a 40-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half.
.@DrakeMaye2's first @NFL TD is to @KayshonBoutte1 🏈
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Oi7BpFvq6H
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 13, 2024
With Tyquan Thornton and Javon Baker both healthy scratches on Sunday, Boutte appears entrenched as one of New England’s top depth receivers.
WR DeMario Douglas
The second-year slot receiver scored his first career touchdown on a 35-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter. Douglas showed off the kind of speed and playmaking ability that make him such an intriguing weapon when the Patriots offense is clicking.
Third Drake Maye touchdown pass of the day!
📺: #HOUvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/wx1KyxB7uR— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
With Maye on the field, Douglas should continue posting better numbers than what we saw in the first five games.
Honorable mentions: Hunter Henry
Who Struggled for the Patriots in Loss to Texans?
Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo deserves some slack. His team has lost multiple key players to injuries, and he wasn’t coaching a good roster to begin with. The Patriots looked this bad during Bill Belichick’s final two seasons too.
MORE: Simulate the Rest of the NFL Season Using PFN’s Playoff Predictor
However, this is the third game in four weeks in which the Patriots didn’t look ready to go — and that’s on Mayo. He also shoulders the blame for a defense that’s increasingly powerless against quality passing offenses. As bad as New England’s offense has been, its defense hasn’t been much better.
And then there are the penalties, many of which have come in pivotal moments. Mayo clearly needs to run a tighter ship.
CB Marcus Jones
It wasn’t all bad for Jones, who recorded an interception (thanks to Mapu) and had multiple impressive punt returns. But the third-year corner also gave up some big plays and had a tough time with Dell.
The Patriots’ secondary got carved up in this game, and Jones had a big hand in the struggles.
CB Christian Gonzalez
Sunday marked one of Christian Gonzalez’s roughest games as a pro.
The second-year corner struggled in coverage against Diggs, including on a key third-down grab in the first quarter and a touchdown reception in the third. The Patriots needed Gonzalez to be a shutdown corner in this game, and he didn’t deliver.
He wasn’t terrible; he just wasn’t good enough.
Honorable mentions: Special teams, Ja’Lynn Polk, Austin Hooper, Jahlani Tavai, Drake Maye, Demontrey Jacobs, Ben Brown