The New England Patriots are searching for answers.
That search has led them to a midseason quarterback change. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye made his first start for New England on Sunday against the Houston Texans, but things didn’t quite go as hoped.
The Texans won the game 41-21 in a contest where they never seemed truly threatened. However, Maye did show flashes of brilliance. The rookie finished the day 20-of-33 for 243 yards with three touchdowns and ran for another 38 yards.
Unfortunately, Maye struggled to protect the ball and threw two interceptions. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo talked about Maye and the team’s performance after the game.
“I thought he showed a lot of poise,” Maye said, according to Pro Football Talk.
“I thought he went out there and controlled the huddle, got those guys out of the huddle and once again, made some plays. It’s definitely encouraging. From a team-wide perspective right now, we let him down. It was his first game, and I feel like I let him down. I’m sure all the coaches feel like we let everyone down. We’ve just got to be better.”
It’ll be interesting to see if the team can come together around Maye before his development is stunted and his career takes a turn for the worse.
The Patriots’ next game is against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in a clash of 1-5 teams, so it may be a chance for Maye to kick his career into high gear.
