Jerod Mayo Had Honest Evaluation of Patriots After Loss in Drake Maye's First Start

The rookie quarterback threw three touchdowns in his first start.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye throws a pass. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, made his first start for the New England Patriots on Sunday and delivered a pretty impressive rookie performance.

Maye completed 20-of-33 pass attempts for 243 yards and threw three touchdowns and two interceptions. His first NFL touchdown was a 40-yard play to Kayshon Boutte. However, the Patriots defense couldn't hold the Houston Texans back to seal Maye a win as the Patriots lost 41–21.

Coach Jerod Mayo paid Maye some compliments after the game, but admitted he felt like the Patriots let Maye down.

“Drake made some good decisions out there. I thought he had some good reads, I thought he tried to get the ball out of his hands, I thought he did a good job extending plays with his legs to get first downs. We just gotta be better," Mayo said. "We let him down. I feel like I let him down."

Jerod Mayo said Patriots QB Drake Maye was encouraging in his debut. Defense letting up 41 points, less so.

“We let him down,” Mayo said. “I feel like I let him down.” pic.twitter.com/iaAfRIS7dk

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 13, 2024

The Patriots suffered their fifth loss in a row on Sunday, but now feel more hopeful to secure a second win with Maye leading the team. Mayo benched Jacoby Brissett this week after he started in the first five games.

It's likely Mayo will stick with Maye for the foreseeable future. His three touchdowns in Week 6 were more than Brissett had thrown all season (two).

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