FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots are reeling after five straight losses, but rookie quarterback Drake Maye provided them a glimmer of hope in his first career NFL start.
Maye finished 20-of-33 for 243 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and one lost fumble in Sunday's 41-21 defeat to the visiting Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium.
Following a slow start, Maye found a more consistent groove after a 40-yard deep-strike touchdown pass to receiver Kayshon Boutte late in the second quarter. Maye added five rushes for 38 yards in the game, showcasing the mobility and athleticism that enticed the team to select him No. 3 in the NFL draft.
"It's definitely encouraging," first-year coach Jerod Mayo said. "From a team-wide perspective right now, we let him down."
Maye, who was sacked four times, acknowledged that he "was a little amped up at the start for sure" and "had goosebumps going out there for the first time." He lamented some of his mistakes -- which included an interception on an overthrow late in the first quarter after the Patriots had fallen behind 14-0 -- but added "sometimes out there it was a lot of fun on offense."
The Patriots entered Sunday averaging 12.4 points per game, which ranked 31st in the NFL, while averaging 119.4 passing yards per game. Easily eclipsing those marks in Sunday's loss had some players encouraged about Maye at the controls, even while playing behind a mix-and-match offensive line.
"I think he did phenomenal," veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne said. "Him getting hit, he kept playing and didn't seem too rattled. He stuck to what he does, and I think that's huge, because obviously we're struggling on the line as everybody knows in a sense."
Some of Maye's best work came late in the second quarter, when the team was in its hurry-up offense, starting at its own 16-yard line with 59 seconds remaining. A 22-yard connection to receiver DeMario Douglas on second-and-8 was a catalyst to set up arguably his best throw of the day: a 40-yard high-arcing pass that hit Boutte in stride down the right side to cut the Texans' lead to 14-7.
Late in the third quarter, Maye escaped the pocket to keep a play alive and hit tight end Hunter Henry on a 30-yard catch-and-run, which was among the other plays that caught Bourne's attention.
"The way he was running the ball was impressive. His athleticism and ability to throw on the run; it's how he runs with his body -- he's running left but facing forward to throw the ball. I think those traits are what you see around the league, Patrick Mahomes , these new-age quarterbacks are throwing the ball on the run and extending plays," he said.
Bourne also noted the energy that Maye, 22, brought to the offense and huddle.
"He's a natural leader," he said. "He has [an] aura, and that's important in football. He's that guy. You can tell when you see him."
The Patriots (1-5) visit the Jaguars (1-5) at London's Wembley Stadium next Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET).
"We care about winning. Just hate losing. That's the big thing," Maye said. "I think there's some good things to take away from [the game, but] we've got to play complementary football, and we haven't done that."
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