Despite Loss, Patriots Offense Comes Alive in Drake Maye Debut

The New England Patriots may have lost to the Houston Texans, but Drake Maye showed major talent.

Oct 13, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to throw the ball against the Houston Texans during the first half at Gillette Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Drake Maye made his starting debut for the New England Patriots this afternoon. Unfortunately, they were unable to beat the Houston Texans, falling by a final score of 41-21.

Even though the Patriots lost their fifth straight game, there were reasons for optimism.

The rest of the 2024 NFL season is not about competing for the playoffs. That ship has sailed and was never a realistic option for New England. However, they have an opportunity for development of young players and to get better for the future.

In the loss, Maye showed flashes of brilliance and he also had a couple of rough moments.

He ended up completing 20 of his 33 pass attempts for 243 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Maye also chipped in 38 yards on five rushing attempts.

Those numbers are exactly what the Patriots wanted to see from their rookie quarterback. It was unrealistic to think that he was going to come out, look like a superstar, and beat a potential Super Bowl contender.

That being said, he was able to put up great numbers and overcome a couple of plays that could have rattled him. His ability to brush off his bad moments and continue finding ways to succeed is a very positive sign.

Many worried about New England throwing him out on the field this early in the season. The Patriots have not had a good offensive line and the wide receiver play has been subpar.

Even with those things being against him, he made his team look better. The offense looked much better than it did with Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback.

This was exactly the kind of start to Maye's career that fans were hoping to see. With his debut in the books, the future looks even brighter. He clearly has the potential to have an elite NFL arm, he displayed leadership, and the football IQ to succeed.

Hopefully, throughout the rest of the season he will continue to show signs of development and improvement. With the loss, the Patriots fell to 1-5, but they should feel much better about the future after seeing today's game.

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