Drake Maye Debut Among Five Takeaways From Patriots-Texans

FOXBORO, Mass. — Rookie quarterback Drake Maye and the New England Patriots suffered a 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Patriots fell to 1-5 while the Texans improved to 5-1.

Here are five takeaways from Patriots-Texans:

Better behind center
Maye threw three passing touchdowns but was responsible for three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) in his first professional start. The third overall pick struggled with some inaccuracies, most notably when he airmailed a pass to 5-foot-8 wideout DeMario Douglas which led to Houston’s first interception. He also looked rushed at times — he faced nine pressures. But the rookie also led a more competent offense. Maye jumpstarted a five-play, 84-yard touchdown drive at the end of the first half. It cut New England’s deficit to 14-7. He later led a seven-play, 70-yard touchdown drive and his 35-yard touchdown pass to Douglas capped an eight-play, 70-yard possession. There is plenty of room for development, no doubt. But New England’s 21 points and Maye’s performance — season highs in yards per attempt and passing yards — prove it was a step in the right direction.

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More freakin’ penalties
The Patriots committed a special teams penalty on the first play of the game. It wasn’t the lone mistake by New England either (nine penalties, 50 yards), adding to the growing trend in recent weeks. And there were a handful of game-altering ones, too. The Patriots were whistled for a questionable defensive pass interference penalty on third-and-5 from their own 5-yard line. The Texans scored a touchdown two plays later. New England was called for another DPI on third-and-9 and Houston scored a touchdown the next play. What could have been a 6-0 edge for the Texans was 14-0 because of those two whistles. Additionally, rookie Marcellas Dial was called for offensive holding during a kick return that cost the Patriots 38 yards of field position. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo criticized the team’s execution in recent weeks, and penalties were costly again.

Turnover troubles
In addition to the penalties, the Patriots lost the turnover battle 4-1. Houston scored 17 points off those turnovers. New England lucked out that Texans kicker Kai Fairbairn missed a 40-yard kick after Maye’s first of two interceptions. The Texans scored a touchdown two plays after Maye was strip-sacked in the third quarter and extended their lead to 34-14 just two plays after Maye’s second interception. Credit where it’s due to Texans safety Eric Murray for an impressive interception in the fourth quarter.

Texans wideouts get best of secondary
For the first time this season, Christian Gonzalez did not win his matchup against the opponent’s top wideout. Texans receiver Stefon Diggs (six receptions, 77 yards, touchdown) caught four of five passes for 39 yards and one touchdown against Gonzalez. Tank Dell (seven receptions, 57 yards, touchdown) caught five of seven targets for 41 yards and one touchdown against New England’s man-to-man defenses, per Pro Football Focus. C.J. Stroud completed 20 of his 31 attempts for 192 yards.

Pass rush nowhere to be found
New England’s pass rush is arguably the biggest cause for concern through six weeks. The Patriots recorded a pair of sacks on Stroud but were unable to consistently pressure the passer. No New England defender recorded more than two hurries (Keion White, Joshua Uche, Davon Godchaux), per Pro Football Focus.