The Patriots lose badly, but Drake Maye offers a glimmer of hope

Maye, the No. 3 draft pick, got off to a slow start Sunday, but by the end of the day Gillette Stadium was buzzing. He threw for 243 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but most importantly, he brought the big-play element back to Foxborough for the first time in five years.

“I thought he showed a lot of poise,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said. “It’s definitely encouraging. From a team-wide perspective, we have let him down right now. It was his first game and I feel like I let him down.”

Mayes' first career touchdown pass was a beauty, a perfect 40-yard bomb to Kayshon Boutte, perhaps the best pass by a Patriots quarterback since Tom Brady left in 2020. It was just the Patriots' fifth 40-yard touchdown pass. plus yards in the last three years. For all of the Patriots' bad plays on Sunday, Maye's 40-yard touchdown pass is the one play people will be talking about this week.

Maye also scrambled and improvised a pass to Hunter Henry that went 30 yards. He hit DeMario Douglas with a perfect throw for a 35-yard catch-and-run touchdown. He threw a beautiful 13-yard pass to Boutte down the sideline. He rushed five times for 38 yards. And Maye showed more confidence as the game went on, completing five of five passes on a third-quarter touchdown drive.

These were plays that Cam Newton, Mac Jones and Jacoby Brissett couldn't make. They couldn't push the ball down the field like Maye and couldn't make throws on the run like Maye.

It can't be a coincidence that a Patriots offense that had scored five touchdowns in four games scored three points against a solid Texans defense. Or that a Patriots offense that had only two completions of more than 30 yards all season suddenly had three of them on Sunday.

Sunday's loss was ugly, the Patriots still have the worst roster in the NFL and Maye still played like a rookie. But Sunday's overwhelming defeat still sparked a surprising amount of optimism among the Patriots.

The result on Sunday is secondary. More importantly, the Patriots' rookie quarterback showed promise, and that's a big deal for a team that has been mired in mediocrity and boredom over the past four years.

▪ Of course there is a lot to do for Maye. His accuracy was a spread shot, highlighted by his interception in the first quarter when he sailed a drag pass to Douglas. Maye seemed to be throwing too hard at times and needs to learn to incorporate a few more changes. And Maye took some tough hits when he didn't always see the field or feel the pass rush.

But these are common problems for a rookie quarterback making his first start. Sunday's game was an encouraging baseline performance and now we can see how he responds and shows improvement every week.

▪ What was Texans coach DeMeco Ryans thinking about his defensive strategy at the end of the first half? As the Patriots tried to get the ball into scoring range, Ryans dared Maye to make a play by playing a single-high safety and leaving the receivers one-on-one on the outside. Maye recognized the coverage and made a perfect pass to Boutte for the touchdown with just 11 seconds left in the half.

“I thought the Texans were going to beat us up a little bit,” Maye said. “They came out and challenged us and played as a man, so I tried to let one ride along and give Boutte a chance. He played a nice game and it was pretty cool.”

▪ The Patriots once again had discipline issues, which can be directly attributed to coaching. A week after committing 12 penalties in a loss to the Dolphins, the Patriots committed six in the first 17 minutes of Sunday's game, three of them on third downs for the Texans. Sione Takitaki moved early in the kickoff and Deatrich Wise Jr. was offside on a third down, two penalties that require nothing but mental awareness.

The offensive play also left a little to be desired, especially the opening series – run, run, incomplete deep throw, punt. Alex Van Pelt was once again a vanilla game, although the touchdown to Henry – in which Henry blocked before making a pass – was sweet.

▪ Maye's performance was even more impressive considering the Patriots' offensive line is in shambles. Starting center Ben Brown arrived in Foxborough from the Raiders' practice squad on Thursday. And with left tackle Vederian Lowe sidelined with an injury, the Patriots' two backup tackles were dominated by Will Anderson Jr. (three sacks and a pass tipped for an interception) and Danielle Hunter (sack strip), who limped along behind Maye play.

However, Maye's scrambling ability should reduce some of the hits the Patriots' quarterbacks have taken this year.

▪ The Patriots may have found good receivers in Douglas and Boutte. Douglas caught 6 of 9 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Boutte, who barely came off the field all day, caught 3 of 3 for 59 yards and a touchdown. Add in Henry, Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson, who missed Sunday's game with a foot injury, and the Patriots could have the makings of a decent tackle.

The only receiver who doesn't do much, however, is second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk. The Patriots' coaches are trying to get him going and involved more, but he was 1 for 4 with a poor drop on Sunday and has caught just 10 of 23 passes this season.

▪ It seems strange to say this when they gave up 41 points, but credit to the Patriots' defense for keeping the game relatively close and not letting it get out of hand early. Without the offense's four turnovers, the defensive stats would have looked significantly better.

Second-year safety Marte Mapu is also developing into an impact player. After missing the first four games, he played every snap when he returned to the lineup last week, then had five tackles, a deflection on a pass that led to an interception to Marcus Jones and a half-sack on third down . In a lost season for the Patriots, the most important thing is the development of players like Mapu.

Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].