Patriots' Drake Maye Receives Underwhelming Debut Prediction

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye received a lukewarm projection for his starting debut.

Aug 25, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws during the first half against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the New England Patriots heading into Week 6 action against the Houston Texans. No, the excitement doesn't necessarily surround the team, but more involves the starting debut of rookie quarterback and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye.

Coming into this week's game, the Patriots hold a 1-4 record. They have lost four straight games and there aren't many who think they can bounce back to be a playoff contender.

Instead, the rest of the season is all about the future. Maye is the new face of the franchise and will get his first start against a very good team.

With that in mind, everyone is wondering what to expect from the rookie signal caller.

FantasyPros recently released their Week 6 projections for Maye. They certainly aren't what fans would like to see, but they aren't horrible either.

They are projecting Maye to complete 18.2 completions out of 29.7 pass attempts for 188.8 yards, 0.8 touchdowns, and 0.7 interceptions. What those numbers equate to rounded are 18-for-30 for 189 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.

Obviously, those numbers aren't going to blow any minds. They're very average numbers, but that is reasonable to expect in a starting debut against such a good football team.

If that ends up being Maye produces, New England would happily take it. He wouldn't look like a star, but he also wouldn't have a horrible debut.

While they are reasonable projections, the Patriots would prefer to see something along the lines of the same completion rate for 200 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Eliminating the turnover would be even better.

Going up against the Texans in his debut won't be easy. Houston is a sleeper Super Bowl pick at this point in the season. They also happen to have a very stingy defense.

It's important to temper expectations for Maye. He has only played one drive in the first five weeks of the season. New England also doesn't have a very good offensive line.

Patience will be a major key for the Patriots and their fans with Maye. No one should put too much pressure on the rookie or overreact to any bad games that he has.

Helping him build his confidence this season and develop his game will be crucial to New England's hopes of getting back into playoff contention next season.

All of that being said, it will be fun to have something to be excited about watching this week. The team has been dead in the water over the last four weeks. Maye is bringing entertainment and potential to the field and it will be interesting to see what he ends up producing against the Texans.

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