FOXBOROUGH — From the locker rooms to the broadcast booths to the 300 sections, Drake Maye’s debut as Patriots quarterback yielded strong reviews across Gillette Stadium, and understandably so.
It looks like the kid can play. For the first time in a long time, there’s a renewed sense of hope for Patriots fans.
In a 41-21 loss to the Texans, Maye tossed three touchdowns and the passing game looked dangerous. With Jacoby Brissett under center for the first five games, the only thing in danger was the quarterback’s health. Maye threw for 243 yards — easily a season-high for the Patriots — and young building blocks Pop Douglas and Kayshon Boutte each found the end zone for the first time in their careers. Maye also ran for a team-high 38 yards and picked up three first downs with his legs.
There were two interceptions — one of which was squarely Maye’s fault — and a few missed throws, but by and large, it was a promising debut.
“I think he did phenomenal,” Kendrick Bourne said. “He’s like a natural leader, he has aura. That’s important in football. Some people have aura, some people don’t, so he’s kind of one of those. He doesn’t have to try, he’s that guy. It’s important, you can tell when you see him. He passed the eye test, so when he’s in the huddle, he knows what he’s doing. You can feel it, it’s important.”
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
“I thought Drake made some good decisions out there,” Jerod Mayo said. “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, picking up first downs… I thought he showed a lot of poise. I thought he went out there and controlled the huddle… it’s definitely encouraging.”
One person who wasn’t taking a moral victory lap after the loss?
Drake Lee Maye.
The rookie fielded a softball to open his press conference — a two-part question that included delving into the 40-yard touchdown pass to Boutte — and asked to evaluate his day. Maye took things in a different direction.
“We just hurt ourselves today,” Maye said. “That’s the biggest thing. We put the defense in bad spots, and with how good our defense is, that’s the last thing we can do… Giving the other team the ball in the red zone just makes it hard on them. It starts with me, and I wish I could have some throws back, and especially the first interception.”
Asked later how he handles the conflicting emotions of playing well and getting positive messages from friends, but still losing handily, there was one sentiment vastly outweighing the other.
“Most of my friends and family after a loss, they’ll still worry more about the loss than encouraging plays,” Maye said. “That’s the people I’m around. We care about winning. Just hate losing. That’s the big thing.”
That’s in Maye’s DNA. While there were many reasons to be optimistic about the offense on Sunday, perhaps none is more important than that. The youngest of four brothers, it how he’s wired.
“We emphasized winning,” Maye’s father, Mark, said in the spring. “We’d talk about, ‘Second is the first loser, man. It’s about winning.’ There’s such a difference. As the kids have gone along with their sports, the one-point losses, hey, the feeling with a one-point loss (compared to) a one-point win… sometimes you might not play good, but we emphasized win the game, then we’ll work on trying to fix (anything that’s wrong).”
There’s plenty to be fixed after the Patriots’ fifth straight loss. But it looks — and sounds — like they’ve got the right quarterback under center for the first time in a long time.
