FOXBOROUGH – Drake Maye got hit hard. In his first NFL start, the rookie quarterback was blasted by several Houston Texans defensive linemen.
After some of these hits, Maye was down on the field for a moment before collecting himself and standing back up. When he got back to the sideline or regrouped the offense in the Patriots huddle, the group stayed confident. He was poised – and acted like he’d been in this situation before.
Maye wasn’t shaken up. Instead, he pushed ahead. His teammates took notice.
It was similar after Maye threw his first NFL interception on Sunday. After his turnover, the 22-year-old walked back into the huddle, looked his teammates in the eyes, and asked them to follow him.
“He’s got that swag to him,” Patriots receiver DeMario Douglas said. “He came to the huddle like, ‘Let’s go.’ I’m like, ‘All right, let’s go. I’m ready with you.’ I’d run through a wall for him. I’m a team player for my boy Drake. We have his back.”
The Houston Texans beat the Patriots, 41-21, on Sunday. After the game, however, there was a sense of optimism from several offensive players in the team’s locker room.
That’s because of Maye.
The No. 3 overall pick showed his potential in his first NFL start. Maye completed 20-of-33 passes for 243 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 38 yards.
The rookie gave a stagnant Patriots offense life. He also gave his teammates confidence – and that started in the week prior in practice. Several players told MassLive that Maye’s self-assurance and practice habits led to a different feel this past week. There was more energy among Patriots players in their three practices the previous Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
“He just seemed ready to go. Confident. Like he’s been ready for this his whole life in a sense,” Kendrick Bourne told MassLive. “Those are the traits you want to see. In a week, we’re in the huddle with him, we’re right next to him, so you know. You can look somebody in the eyes, and you can tell if they’re ready or they’re not. He gives off that ‘he’s ready’ look, he’s been waiting for this moment, and I feel like tonight, he took advantage of his moment.”
“Really, just his performance throughout the week. I thought he had a good week of practice,” added right guard Michael Onwenu. “He was seeing the defense. He was able to change the protections if he needed to and had his hot (routes). I thought he had a good week of preparation coming into the game.”
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In his first NFL start, the Patriots offense scored their most points (21) this season. In his first start, Maye also set team highs in passing yards and touchdowns. His three passing touchdowns are the most for a Patriots quarterback since Bailey Zappe on Dec. 7, 2023, against Pittsburgh.
As Maye started to gain more confidence, Patriots pass catchers reaped the benefits. In this game, Douglas (92 yards) and Kayshon Boutte (59 yards) logged career-highs in receiving yards and both caught their first NFL touchdowns.
Maye showcased a big arm – his 40-yard touchdown pass to Boutte marked the Patriots longest touchdown pass since Sept. 24, 2003, when Pharoah Brown caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones. That also marked the longest touchdown for a Patriots rookie quarterback since Drew Bledsoe in 1993 (53 yards to Ben Coats on Dept. 5, 1993).
He also became the 14th rookie in NFL history to throw for at least three touchdowns in his first start. The performance, even in a loss, left his teammates impressed.
“His confidence gives us confidence,” added right tackle Demontrey Jacobs. “He shows those leadership characteristics – being composed in those moments. It’s encouraging for sure moving forward.
“He’s calm, cool, collected, and confident. Anything that you can think of that’s positive. He was ready to play. I’m proud of him.”
The afternoon wasn’t easy for Maye. The Texans talented defense sacked him four times and hit him eight times. After the game, Maye was sitting at his locker with his white leggings ripped at the left knee. His arms and body were peppered with red marks and scratches.
After going to the trainer’s room, Maye emerged with his left elbow wrapped and a white bandage on his forearm. Despite being battered, players said the rookie’s confidence never wavered.
“He was just poised. He showed a lot of resilience,” Bourne said. “Sometimes he was (knocked) down, but he got up. It took him a little while to get up sometimes, but he got up and seemed strong. I love how he fought and responded after getting hit. It didn’t seem like he was too rattled or shaken. He just kept playing. Those are the traits that you like to see.”
The day wasn’t perfect. Maye turned the ball over three times (two interceptions and a fumble) and of course, the Patriots lost. In the end, he showed his potential and played well against a tough defensive unit that held Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen to 30% throwing the previous week.
More importantly, Maye’s performance – in practice and on the game field – gave his teammates more confidence.
For a team that’s in a rebuild, that’s important. The Patriots players saw a glimpse of the future on Sunday.
“He had that confidence and was never down. You have a QB that’s never down, it gives us confidence,” Douglas said. “Then he came to the huddle like, ‘Come on, let’s go.’ That pushed us like, ‘We got your back.’”
Confidence breeds confidence. The Patriots hope that success follows.
