Four Bold Predictions For Drake Maye’s First Patriots Start

The Patriots host the Houston Texans on Sunday, but we all know who the conversation will be focused on once the final horn blows.

Drake Maye.

New England has shifted its focus toward helping the 22-year-old develop, while the man himself is looking to give the club a spark. It’s going to be interesting, no matter if that interest is based on disaster or a miraculous return to form. Let’s toss out some bold predictions in preparation for a milestone game at Gillette Stadium:

MAYE LETS IT FLY
The Patriots have been damn-near embarrassing on the offensive side of the football this season, producing the least amount of explosive plays (six) in the entire NFL. Antonio Gibson has the longest reception on the season, which was a screen pass that he took halfway down the field by himself.

Maye’s elevation into the starting role should help change that, and we don’t think it will take long to see results. New England is encouraged about the consistency they’ll be carrying over on the offensive line, which could lead to increased usage of play-action concepts — and in turn, a couple opportunities for the kid to take a shot.

Prediction: Maye completes the longest pass of the season for New England.

TANK HELPS THE TANK
New England is catching a bit of a break this week, as Texans wide receiver Nico Collins will miss the matchup with a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve. Houston isn’t exactly short on offensive targets, though.

Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz are a pretty good group of weapons. Diggs notoriously kills it at Gillette Stadium, so he should draw the Christian Gonzalez matchup and leave Dell to work with the likes of Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones. The Texans will be just fine with that.

Prediction: Dell finishes with 100+ yards and at least one touchdown.

STEPPING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Jacoby Brissett was confident the offensive line would eventually “settle in” to help protect him, and although one important factor in that prediction won’t come true, he might have been on to something.

Vederian Lowe, Michael Jordan, Nick Leverett, Mike Onwenu and Demontrey Jacobs all took a step in the right direction last week, and the expectations should only be raised with a rookie quarterback behind them. Maye is athletic to help protect himself, so despite a pair of dominant pass-rushers on the other side, we could see a few plays made against the rush.

Prediction: Maye finishes with more rushing yards than yards lost to sacks.

POLK’S REVENGE
Ja’Lynn Polk was left on the unfortunate end of the NFL’s never-ending catch conversation last Sunday, so he’ll be playing with a chip on his shoulder against Houston.

Maye worked a ton with his pair of rookie wideouts throughout camp, but Polk was the one he seemed to find a connection with early and often — especially in red-zone periods. The Patriots will lean on their two rookies this weekend, and that could lead to huge results.

Prediction: Polk scores two touchdowns.