Drake Maye evaluates the good and bad from his first start with Patriots

"The best thing I did was probably handling some adversity."

Like most rookie quarterbacks trying to find their footing in the NFL, Drake Maye had to take the good with the bad following Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans.

A 20-point defeat was at the forefront of his thinking following the 41-21 loss, with the 22-year-old QB harping on his own miscues (three turnovers) and the team’s lapses in execution on offense in his postgame press conference.

But there were plenty of positives to be drawn from Maye’s debut, especially when it came to New England’s offense showing some signs of life.

Maye finished his first career NFL start completing 20 of 33 passes for 243 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He added 38 yards off of five carries, ending the afternoon as the team’s leading rusher.

Maye’s arm allowed the Patriots to finally generate some explosive plays. Before Sunday, the Patriots had only generated two passing touchdowns of 35+ air yards over the past three seasons.

Maye doubled that total on Sunday, with his touchdown throws to DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte both going at least 35 yards.

But beyond his touchdown throws or his ability to scramble out of the pocket, Maye stressed that his ability to bounce back from a slow start stood as the most encouraging takeaway from his debut.

“The best thing I did was probably handling some adversity,” Maye said on WEEI’s “Afternoon Show” on Monday. “Obviously, coming out in that second drive with [DeMario Douglas] over the middle and missing him. … Left a lot of yards out there for Pop. Especially on some of the crossing routes. But, other than that I think just bouncing back from adversity.”

Maye struggled to settle into a rhythm for most of the first half on Sunday against Houston.

Along with the overthrown ball toward Douglas that was picked off by Calen Bullock in the first quarter, Maye completed just five of his 10 passes for 36 yards before his final drive in the first half.

But Maye righted the ship with just over a minute left in the second quarter. He completed three of his four passes on that drive for 69 yards, ending with the 40-yard completion to Boutte for his first career touchdown.

It was a strong response from Maye, who earned plenty of praise from his teammates on Sunday for bouncing back after a sluggish start.

“It’s a big moment, first and foremost. Your first game, your first start,” Hunter Henry said Sunday of Maye’s response. “He got hit a few times early, he threw an interception early and just continued to come back, continued to fight, continued to get back up and continued to play at a high level, too.

“As a young player, to be able to bounce back like that, I think it’s more even the mentally tough than maybe some of the physically tough. I know how hard it can be. You have something not go your way early in the game, but to continue to fight, get back up and keep going, I commend him on that.”

Even with his three touchdowns, Maye was still critical of his decision making under pressure during Sunday’s loss.

“The thing I can improve on is just helping the guys up front. They’ve got a tough task,” Maye said on WEEI. “Injuries, great D-line from Houston. So getting the ball out and realizing that sometimes an incompletion is the best play.”

Despite New England’s five-game losing streak, Maye’s play on Sunday offered up hope that the Patriots have a dynamic QB in place who should only improve with more reps.

But those sentiments weren’t necessarily echoed by Maye, who remained focused on the present after Sunday’s loss.

“You want to come out with a win,” Maye said on WEEI. “That’s the ultimate goal — especially in your first start — is coming out with a win. We didn’t get that done.”

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.