Drake Mayes' first start was “encouraging,” but “we let him down” and lost to the Texans

Maye's shaky start continued after his first interception as the Pats punted on their next three drives, but he began to settle in during a two-minute drill at the end of the first half. With just 16 seconds left in the second quarter, Maye planted a nice, deep ball to Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard TD to cut an early deficit in half, 14-7, just before halftime.

Traveling 51.7 yards through the air, Maye's TD pass to Boutte was the longest pass completed by a Patriots quarterback in the past three seasons, according to Next Gen Stats.

“That was kind of my thought process: Give him a chance,” Maye said of his first touchdown. “I thought the Texans were going to corner us a little bit. They came out and challenged us and played as a man, so they tried to let one ride along and give Boutte a chance. He made a good play and it was pretty cool. “I think both were our first touchdowns, so a pretty cool moment. I felt like in this group we can push the ball down the field and play in the passing game, so we've just got to keep repeating it and see what happens and I've got to make the throws, that's the end result. Make better throws.

Starting the second half with the ball gave the Patriots a chance to make a play, but Maye was strip sacked on the first possession, one of four sacks the rookie had in the game. Another fumble by tight end Austin Hooper made things worse for New England, but Maye followed with a well-orchestrated 75-yard drive that ended with his second touchdown pass, making it a two-score game at the end of the three-run game stood.

Maye's second interception came with the game still within reach in the fourth quarter when Texas pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. read the rookie's eyes on the screen on a pass, hit the ball high in the air and it hit Eric Allowing Murray to secure the pick deep in New England territory. But Maye showed diligence on their ensuing possession, throwing a beautiful 35-yard touchdown pass to Demario Douglas to complete an eight-play, 70-yard march.

The Patriots' defense ultimately ruined Maye's first start, giving up points on five of Houston's first six possessions in the second half. Because of that, Mayo felt like he let the rookie down on Sunday, but he didn't look past the silver linings seen in Foxborough.

“We fully expect or anticipate that he will get better in the future,” Mayo said. “That was his first start. Clearly there were great expectations of him here at home. I thought he handled it well. You have to build on that.”

With the Maye era officially beginning in 2024, New England will know what the No. 3 overall pick is capable of. His first start had its ups and downs, but Maye won't be resting on the laurels of a hopeful start.

“Kudos to the fans,” Maye said. “I thought she was great. The first time I went out there I got goosebumps. They stayed and cheered most of the time and it was pretty sweet being out there with the Reds. Like I said, I think we did it.” It would be pretty special to watch the tape, learn from it and get back on your feet. We have a long flight ahead of us, so prepare to play abroad.”

The Patriots (1-5) travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) at Wembley Stadium in Week 7.