Fan notes on the Patriots' loss to the Texans

The Drake Maye era has officially begun and I'm there.

This is probably the best I've ever felt after a blowout Patriots loss. There are plenty of positives from yesterday's Texans game and enough negatives to keep us all in check. We're also in a weird situation where both defense and offense are taking the blame for the loss, which I kind of like too. So let's get started.

1. I should start these fan notes by confessing that I really believed the Patriots would win yesterday. Not because they're a better team than Houston, or because Drake Maye represents some kind of season-changing second comeback, or anything like that; You just see how sometimes teams get momentum after a coaching or QB change, and I thought New England would steal one at home.

2. I also thought the Texans might get caught overlooking a bad Patriots team, or that they're still a little hungover from the Bills game. But none of that happened and the Patriots got thrashed.

3. And I agree with that 100 percent. I'm actually feeling pretty good this morning.

4. Sure, the defense doesn't seem to be able to stop the run in any way. And it's not like having Bentley and Barmore back in the lineup will magically stop them from giving up over 150 points week after week on the floor. And of course there were some mental mistakes and stupid plays from a team that just isn't good enough to play anything other than mistake-free football. But the Patriots had more touchdown passes yesterday than all other games combined, and most importantly, I watched a rookie quarterback get better with every offensive snap he took. And that is a huge, huge victory.

5. Was Maye perfect? Far from it. But what I saw from Maye yesterday was a few misses on the right metrics. His first interception was a poorly thrown pass intended for an open Pop Douglas up the middle, which he should have hit with ease. But that was the correct reading of the piece. A few other passes flew high or out of reach, but they were the throws he was supposed to make. I'll take good read, bad throw over bad reed, good throw any day.

6. And after several seasons of watching Patriots quarterbacks just go for it and hope for the best, I can't express how refreshing it is to understand what a QB had in mind when he made the throw himself if it was a lousy thing.

7. And that's even more true given the fact that in order to make those throws, he had to receive the ball from a big, fat guy named Ben, who had joined the team three days earlier and was playing in the NFL for the first time.

8. I've said in previous fan notes that I'm tired of destroying the offensive line and I'm going to stick with it. Mainly because it's mid-October and I still have no idea who this guy is, and I'm a firm believer in not making fun of people you don't know.

9. And the line will improve in the coming seasons, we have no doubt about that. Now it depends on who makes the positive plays and who doesn't. And of all the positive plays we saw yesterday – and there were a significant number – they all came from players in New England's long-term plans. Perhaps nothing beats Drake Maye and Kayshon Boutte's first career touchdowns. Boutte wasn't planned for a rub route or a flat crosser; He took a jab step at the line to get outside, got a step on the DB and Maye hit him perfectly in stride for the 40 yard score, which was more like a 50 yard pass considering Mayes Includes dropback. Also, if you look at this game, you can see that Maye had Douglas open over the middle, allowing for a much easier, higher percentage finish. But he missed the safety just long enough and made a nice throw.

10. But my favorite play of the game came with about three minutes left in the third quarter when Maye Douglas hit low over the middle for a 17-yard gain. Maye was mad at herself because the throw was a little off and Douglas had to reach back to get it. If Maye leads him, he'll probably just walk. That's just a timing and chemistry issue to come. But Maye recognized his mistake immediately and still made the correct reading and throwing error.

11. Overall, 20 of 33 for 243 yards, three TDs, and two picks (one on that bad throw and one on that wild pass that inexplicably ended up in the worst spot) represents a pretty solid day. And like I said, you could actually see him getting better with every ride.

12. The biggest blow to Drake Maye? I hate to say it, but the kid just has an inexplicably quick-witted face. He looks like someone hovering over the grill throughout the cookout, telling you when to flip the burgers. By all accounts, he's an incredibly nice kid, a great teammate, and Pop Douglas has already gone on record saying he would run through a wall for him, so this isn't an affront to his demeanor, his work ethic, or his abilities as a teammate. It's just that as someone who also has an extremely powerful face, you recognize the game.

13. How the hell Ja'Lynn Polk can make some of the best catches you'll ever see when he's on the way out while letting some absolute gimmes bounce right off his hands remains anyone's guess. But it's clearly a problem he needs to fix as soon as possible. Otherwise I might fall into self-deception again and think that it is so Finally It's time for Tyquan Thornton to show what he's made of.

14. I'm hoping that yesterday's game marks the beginning of AVP reaching under his mattress and pulling out all the nasty plays he doesn't want his mom to find. Plays that the offense under Brissett simply wasn't capable of executing. I saw a troubling lack of effective screens, slants, quick outs, and option routes that would seemingly be a staple of any team with offensive line issues. Until yesterday, I could have attributed this to opposing defenses not having to give a Patriots receiver the respect of a cushion, but Boutte and Douglas have both shown the ability to beat the press man, so that could change. And Maye is mobile enough to move the quickly collapsing bag, so that's one thing to keep a close eye on going forward.

15. After watching Christian Gonzalez beat the best receivers in football since he entered the league, I have to admit that Stefon Diggs beat him yesterday. Diggs is just one of those players who, for whatever reason, always has a field day against the Patriots.

16. The referees certainly didn’t cost the Patriots the game. Far from it. But a fake DPI call led to a touchdown. A blatant facemask was missed on a one-yard loss and Maye threw a pick on the next play. There was a Texas defender in the backfield before the ball was snapped twice and there was no offside call on either occasion. If the league takes nothing else away from the entire 2024 season, I hope they seriously examine how terrible the play on the field is due to constant, unnecessary, flow-destroying, momentum-altering, erroneous flags that taint every single game.

17. The highlight of my day yesterday was looking over my shoulder after singing a lovely piece by Marte Mapu and then seeing my wife giggling at the way I said his last name. Aside from the fact that I can never order a PuPu platter when she and I go out for Chinese food, it's safe to say that I married the right woman.

18. Just remind me never to talk to her about the legendary career of Albert Pujols.

19. This game was fun to watch because we saw noticeable, positive improvements in real time. With each offensive possession, Maye became a little calmer, a little more comfortable, and took a little more control of the offense. Young players made good plays. Of course you want your team to win, but given the overall vibe of the season, I think if the team can just keep doing what they did yesterday, we'll be in really good shape for 2025 and beyond.

The NFL has really shown great foresight and presented us with Patriots/Jaguars at 9:30 a.m. in London. This is the type of game that will really help this sport expand globally.