Instant analysis of Drake Maye's debut, Patriots' 41-21 loss to Texans

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye couldn’t save the New England Patriots from a 41-21 blowout loss to the Houston Texans, but he did give them hope for the future.

There was plenty of enthusiasm for Maye’s debut and renewed energy throughout the team, but the Patriots ran into a juggernaut on Sunday. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was great when he needed to be, and Houston’s defense forced four turnovers.

It’s hard to beat any team in the NFL when turning the ball over so frequently, and the Patriots did it against a potential Super Bowl contender.

Penalties were also a major issue for the team with the referees blowing the whistle nine times against New England. It was a tough night defensively for the Patriots, which is starting to become the case more often with Ja’Whaun Bentley and Christian Barmore out.

They couldn’t stop the bleeding in the run game, and the Texans racked up 192 total rushing yards and two touchdowns against them.

Maye had a solid debut for a rookie behind a bad offensive line against one of the best pass-rushing teams in the league. He faced a solid defense, took some hard hits and kept picking himself back up to finish with a 20-of-33 stat line for 243 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

The biggest hope for the Patriots is for Maye to use this game as a building block to continue getting better. Next up for the team is an international game against a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars opponent.

It might present Maye with the best opportunity yet to truly show off his talent.