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It was a fresh start for the New England Patriots on Sunday as they started their 2024 third overall pick Drake Maye at quarterback. After four straight losses and abysmal QB play by Jacoby Brissett, the Patriots decided to go in a different direction and see if Maye could give this offense a spark. While the quarterback from North Carolina had an impressive debut, it was not enough. The defense struggled and the Houston Texans scored the most points against New England this season.
Huge Improvement At QB
Even though the Patriots faced a two-touchdown deficit for much of the game, Drake Maye played well. He threw for 243 yards, three touchdowns, and averaged 7.4 yards per pass. The rookie quarterback also made some great plays with his legs, scrambling well and running for first downs. Maye rushed five times for 38 yards. He led the team in rushing this game. Rhamondre Stevenson was out for this game so this makes a little sense but one would think that another running back would record more than 38 yards. However, that’s a story for a different article.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Maye though. He threw two interceptions although one was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Maye’s other big mistake was a strip sack at the start of the second quarter. Besides these miscues, Maye had a good first start. His decision-making and accuracy looked noticeably better than Jacoby Brissett. Maye also moved better in the pocket. The biggest improvement from the UNC product was his ability to find players down the field, including a 40-yard touchdown dot to Kayshon Boutte. Brissett rarely found receivers more than ten yards out. Maye was able to get the ball out quickly and find players for first downs.
Worst Defensive Game Of Season
The Patriots’ defense has usually been their strong suit over the past few seasons with their offense being subpar. Today’s game switched those two around. The team scored their most points and also allowed the most points they have this season. The defense could not get many stops. They allowed 368 total yards to the Texans, 192 of those yards were on the ground. Joe Mixon ran rampant against this New England defense, recording 132 total yards and two touchdowns.
Allowing 41 points was a little uncharacteristic of this team because they didn’t have any key defensive players inactive for this game. The Patriots have allowed an average of 23.8 points per game this season. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez and the rest of this secondary have done a great job of limiting opposing wide receivers’ production. While no Texans receiver recorded more than 80 yards in this matchup, three receiving touchdowns were given up and receivers averaged 9.6 yards per catch. This shouldn’t be an issue moving forward as Gonzalez has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league this season and Keion White has also been a star.
Questionable Calls
This wasn’t called a face mask in the Patriots-Texans game…
All-time terrible year at the referee position.pic.twitter.com/FcBYsDby26
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) October 13, 2024
The Patriots had nine penalties for 50 yards while the Texans had half that amount, committing four penalties for 38 yards. The officiating was lopsided toward the Texans. Additionally, there were multiple no-calls that didn’t go the Patriots’ way. One of them was a missed face mask call on running back Antonio Gibson at the start of the third quarter. The biggest missed call of the game though was when Texans running back Dameon Pierce rushed for a 54-yard touchdown. On the replay, it looked like he stepped out of bounds before reaching the pylon. Both broadcasters thought Pierce stepped out as well as the rules analyst Gene Steratore.
Nonetheless, the call was not reviewed any further than a normal scoring play. This call had an impact on the game because the Patriots were down 34-21 before this touchdown. They were more in reach with a little under eight minutes to go in the game. I’m not saying the Patriots would have come back if this touchdown got reversed but it would have made it a bit more possible. This touchdown sealed the win for the Texans and the Patriots didn’t score again. Dameon Pierce wore white cleats in this game and with this play being called a touchdown and Isaiah Likely’s catch with black cleats being no good on opening night, the white cleats tactic grows stronger.
The Patriots Moving Forward
Although the Patriots lost this game by 20, there are some things to be happy about, mainly about Drake Maye and how he elevates this offense. With this debut from the rookie, there is no question that he is the starter going forward. Jacoby Brissett’s best game this season was throwing for 168 yards, one touchdown, and an average of 5.3 yards per pass. Maye’s starting debut had him throwing for 243 yards, three touchdowns, and an average of 7.4 yards per pass. And he did this all against a top 5 defense.
There were a lot of critics who said that Drake Maye should not be starting because either they think he needs to develop more or they were concerned about him getting injured behind this bad offensive line. Those concerns have been put to rest with this performance by the third overall pick. However, he was far from perfect in this game. There are areas where he can improve, and there are definitely areas where his receivers can improve. This team still needs a lot of work, most notably with the offensive line. Those improvements most likely will not happen this season but the Patriots are heading in the right direction with Drake Maye at quarterback.
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