CJ Stroud leads Texans past Patriots in Drake Mayes debut: Key takeaways

Pro Bowl quarterback CJ Stroud once again showed why he earned the honor in his rookie season, leading the Houston Texans to a dominant 41-21 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Stroud completed 20 of 31 passes for 192 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Sunday marked the third time in Stroud's young career that he scored at least three touchdowns and the first time this season. The Ohio State product threw five touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the regular season last year and beat the Cleveland Browns by three touchdowns during the AFC Wild Card game.

Texas running back Joe Mixon returned to the field for the first time since suffering a severe right ankle sprain in a Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears. Mixon made the most of his return, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown and catching two passes through the air for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Stroud, Mixon and the Houston defense spoiled the debut of Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye. New England selected Maye with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but started veteran Jacoby Brissett under center for the first five games.

The Texans' defense sacked Maye four times, intercepted two of his passes and recovered two fumbles.

With the win, Houston (5-1) is now at the top of the AFC South, while the Patriots (1-5) are in last place in the AFC East.

Drake Mayes debut

New England got the full rookie quarterback experience in Mayes' debut as the team's starter.

In many ways it was quite predictable. With Maye at the helm, there were more explosive plays, more general passing performance, but also more mistakes. He completed 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

If you're looking for optimism, it's easy to find in Maye. His 40-yard ball that fell right into the hands of Kayshon Boutte as it headed into the end zone was a dream in New England. Maye's 243 passing yards were more than he had in any of Brissett's five games as a starting quarterback (though he acknowledged the low bar of that mark).

But there were also many learning moments. Maye brought down Demario Douglas after a poor interception in the first half. Then, in the fourth quarter, he didn't have enough air on a throw to the lowland and the throw was deflected and intercepted (in improbably) for his second interception.

So Maye certainly wasn't perfect. But there were enough positive moments to inspire optimism, even if Maye's surroundings are not good.

With him at quarterback, the Patriots are a lot more fun and are likely to make more explosive plays, even if they make more mistakes.

The Patriots' run game struggles

New England wanted to play a run-first attack that opened up the passing game by wearing down the defense with the way it ran the ball. But in Maye's debut as a starter, the Patriots' rushing game was abysmal.

They were without running back Rhamondre Stevenson, but even that doesn't fully explain how or why they were so bad.

Antonio Gibson, who had outrebounded Stevenson most of the first five games, ran for just 19 yards on 13 carries. New England had two more designed rushes, and they only went for a total of four yards. Maye's job in this offense was never going to be easy given the struggles of the offensive line and wide receivers.

But the Patriots at least thought their running game could take some of the pressure off of him. Instead, they made his situation worse.

Poor performance for New England's defense

Injuries and turnovers have resulted in New England's defense not being the strength it once was. If you lose Matthew Judon, Christian Barmore and Ja'Whaun Bentley, that's what's going to happen.

Still, it's no excuse for how poorly they played.

The Texans moved the ball with ease. They scored on five of their first nine drives, with another possession in that span ending in a missed field goal. Christian Gonzalez is the Patriots' best cornerback, but he didn't have his best game as he was beaten too often by Stefon Diggs.

Meanwhile, the pass rush didn't reach Stroud often enough, giving him plenty of time to find receivers. The Patriots have now allowed 23 or more points in four of their last five games, with the lone exception coming against the Miami Dolphins, who were playing their third quarterback.

And this offense is certainly not designed to keep up with more than 23 points.

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Even without the entry of the NFL's leading receiver in Week 6, the Texans' passing game was rolling.

Stroud hit three different players for touchdowns, while Tank Dell and Diggs combined for 134 yards.

Those weren't eye-popping numbers for the pair, but it was an efficient game for them on a day where the Texans didn't have to pass the ball too often, having held a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 27-14 lead after three quarters. The game was never in doubt for them.

Tougher tests lie ahead for Houston while Collins remains on the injured list for at least three more games. Next week's visit to Green Bay could turn into a shootout and shed light on Collins' absence, but the Texans handled that quite well against the Patriots.

Mixon's big return

Mixon's return provided a jolt to the Texans' offense and a major threat in the running game, which they lacked without him.

After missing the last three games with an ankle injury, Mixon carried the ball 13 times for 102 yards. It was more of a boom or bust day for him, but he made up for the early trouble by rushing for a 59-yard carry in the second quarter.

Mixon caught a first-quarter pass in the flat after his defender was picked and took the ball 10 yards to the end zone. Then, in the fourth quarter, he threw a carry to the left for a 20-yard touchdown that basically killed the game (as if there was any doubt).

Required reading

(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)