Game Overview
The Patriots have fell to the Texans by a score of 41-21 this weekend. The loss puts them at a 5-game losing streak after starting the year with a win in Cincinnati. The Patriots did not play a great game but the outcome is less important than the process for this particular game.
The big story over the weekend was the debut of rookie Quarterback Drake Maye. Maye was the 3rd overall pick in this year's draft and has been called for by Patriots fans for weeks now. After Jacoby Brissett's abysmal first 5 weeks as starter, the Patriots made the call to start the 22-year old despite concerns mainly about keeping the rookie upright; the Patriots being the second-most sacked team in the league to thus point.
The Good
Maye's performance in his first game had it's ups and it's downs but for the most part was better than most predicted. Maye had brilliant flashes of arm talent, throwing multiple touchdowns including beautiful deep balls to Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. Completing over 60% of his passes on the day, Maye showed good poise in the pocket and an ability to get to his 2nd and 3rd reads as the play progressed. Maye also showed above-average mobility in the game which was previously unproven. Maye added 38 yards on 5 rushes, leading the team in the process in rushing yards. More than his rushing productivity, Maye showed the ability to navigate a pocket and extend plays with his legs while continuing to look down the field. This ability will need to be duplicated throughout the season to combat his team's obvious pass-blocking failures, as shown by the rookie going down 4 times last week.
The Bad
When just looking at Maye's performance, ball security will be the biggest skill to address. Turning the ball over thrice, (twice by interception and one by fumble) Maye will need to be more precise in the pocket. One of his interceptions was off of a deflection which isn't all Maye's fault but his first of the day was an overthrow directly to the Texans' safety. His fumble was from a blitzing edge rusher coming from his blind side. While that isn't directly his fault, it is worth noting that he will have to improve his sixth sense of incoming sacks in the pocket, (which can be said for every rookie.)
The thing is, Maye is a rookie with tremendous upside but if we were to name everything he needs to improve on this article would be pages long. Maye showed an ability to scramble out of the pocket but he also showed that he will stand flat-footed as well, leading to 2 of his 4 sacks. He also showed he has too much arm power at times and not enough touch, overthrowing his receivers multiple times; once for an interception.
The Team
Overall, the team played decently besides the three turnovers by the rookie. The Texans' offense was stymied for most of the game, only throwing for 176 yards. The team rushed for 192 yards, however 103 of them came from 2 huge rushes, holding the rest of the game to 89 yards on 26 rushes. Every other stat was very similar between the teams meaning if Maye had taken better care of the ball the Patriots would have been very much in play for the game.
The team will definitely be in a good place moving forward with new hope on the horizon. For weeks not only were fans calling for Maye to start but there were also rumors of the locker room wanting the change as well after Brissett's terrible start.
The Patriots will look ahead to a European game this week versus the Jaguars. That's right New England! Wake up early this week to see the Pats play at 9:30am EST. This game will be a tough ask for the rookie, making his second career start in a HUGE travel game against a team (Jaguars) that has been in London for over a week already. However, the Jags have been almost as bad as the Patriot so far this year. Their pass rush has not been great and their secondary hasn't been much better, meaning Maye has a chance to show off his passing and the offensive line has a chance to let him do that.
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the New England Patriots and the 2024-25 NFL season.
-Z.D.
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