Drake Maye has most touchdowns in his first two starts by a Patriots Quarterback

Drake Maye has most touchdowns in his first two starts by a Patriots Quarterback

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HENRY MOVES UP
TE Hunter Henry moved into seventh on the Patriots all-time reception list among tight ends with a 13yard reception from QB Drake Maye in the first quarter and now has 160 receptions with the Patriots after finishing the game with 8 catches. He entered the game needing 2 receptions to move past Jim Whalen (153).

HENRY BECOMES EIGHTH PATRIOTS TIGHT END TO REACH 1,800 RECEIVING YARDS
Henry finished the game with 92 receiving yards and became the eighth New England tight end to reach 1,800 yards. He entered the game needing 48 receiving yards to reach the mark. He is in sole possession of fifth place on New England’s all-time list with 1,874 yards.

HENRY TIES CAREER HIGH IN RECEPTIONS
Henry tied his career with 8 receptions. He also had 8 receptions on Sept. 14, 2024 vs. Seattle and 8 receptions on Oct. 13, 2019 vs. Pittsburgh when he played for the Los Angeles Chargers.

BARINGER EXTENDS STREAK
P Bryce Baringer extended his streak to 24-straight games with at least one 50-yard punt after his 66-yard punt in the second quarter, the longest current streak in the NFL. Indianapolis P Rigoberto Sanchez holds second place with a 22-game streak. The NFL record for the longest streak with at least one 50-yard punt since 1970 is 38 by Shane Lechler (2007-10).

MATHIS GETS CREDIT FOR FIRST FULL TACKLE
LB Ochaun Mathis was elevated from the practice squad and saw his first action on defense for New England. He played only on special teams vs. Miami on Oct. 6 when he was elevated for the first time in 2024. Mathis was credited with his first solo tackle on defense in the third quarter when he tackled RB Tank Bigsby. He had 1 assisted tackle in 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams.

DUGGER HAS FIFTH DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLE GAME
S Kyle Dugger had his fifth career game with 10 or more tackles after finishing with 11 total tackles. That is third in his career behind the 15 tackles at Dallas on Oct. 1, 2023 and 12 tackles vs. Baltimore on Nov. 15, 2020.


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Drake Maye Makes His First NFL Start

Drake Maye Makes His First NFL Start

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MAYE THROWS FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN
Maye completed his first touchdown on a 40-yard pass to WR Kayshon Boutte in the second quarter. It is the longest pass for the Patriots since a 48-yard pass play from QB Bailey Zappe to RB Kevin Harris in the second quarter at Buffalo on Dec. 31, 2023. It is the longest touchdown pass for New England since QB Mac Jones completed a 58-yard touchdown pass to TE Pharaoh Brown in the first quarter at the New York Jets on Sept. 24, 2023.

MAYE’S 40-YARD TD ON FIRST TD PASS IS SECOND LONGEST ON FIRST TD PASS BY A ROOKIE
QB Maye’s 40-yard touchdown pass on his first career touchdown pass is the longest for a rookie Patriots quarterback on his first career touchdown pass since QB Drew Bledsoe’s first career touchdown pass resulted in a 54-yard touchdown to TE Ben Coates on Sept. 5, 1993 vs. Buffalo.

MAYE BECOMES FOURTH PATRIOTS ROOKIE QB TO THROW 3 TDS IN A GAME
Maye became the fourth Patriots rookie quarterback to throw at least 3 touchdown passes in a single game, joining Drew Bledsoe, Jim Plunkett and Mac Jones.

PATRIOT ROOKIE QBS TO THROW AT LEAST 3 TOUCHDOWN PASSES IN A GAME

  • 4 TDs Jim Plunkett vs. Buffalo (11/14/1971)
  • 4 TDs Drew Bledsoe vs. Miami (1/2/1994)
  • 3 TDs Mac Jones vs. Cleveland (11/14/2021)
  • 3 TDs Mac Jones vs. Jacksonville (1/2/2022)
  • 3 TDs Drake Maye vs. Houston (10/13/2024)

MAYE IS THE 14TH ROOKIE QB TO THROW FOR AT LEAST 3 TDS IN FIRST CAREER START
Maye became the 14th rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least three touchdowns in his first-career start, joining M.C. Reynolds (3), Jacky Lee (3), Dan Marino (3), Kevin Sweeney (3), Ed Rubbert (3), Todd Marinovich (3), Tony Banks (3), John Stofa (4), Josh Freeman (3), Matt McGloin (3), Marcus Mariota (4), Trevor Lawrence (3) and Will Levis (4) as the only rookie quarterbacks to accomplish the feat in their first-career start.

PATRIOTS QUARTERBACKS ARE 9-9 IN THEIR FIRST STARTS SINCE 1970
Since 1970, Patriots quarterbacks are 9-9 in their first career starts. Of those 18 quarterbacks, Jim Plunkett, Steve Grogan, Tony Eason, Bob Bleier, Tommy Hodson, Drew Bledsoe, Jacoby Brissett, Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe and Drake Maye made their first starts in their rookie seasons. QB Game Score Jim Plunkett Patriots vs. Oakland (9/19/71) 20-6 (W) Neil Graff Patriots vs. Houston (9/21/75) 0-7 (L) Steve Grogan Patriots at St Louis (11/2/75) 17-24 (L) Matt Cavanaugh Patriots vs. Baltimore (11/23/80) 47-21 (W) Tony Eason Patriots at N.Y. Jets (11/27/83) 3-26 (L) Tom Ramsey Patriots vs. Indianapolis (11/22/87) 24-0 (W) Bob Bleier Patriots vs. Cleveland (10/4/87) 10-20 (L) Tommy Hodson Patriots at Phoenix (11/25/90) 14-34 (L) Scott Zolak Patriots at Indianapolis (11/15/92) 37-24 (W) (OT) Drew Bledsoe Patriots at Buffalo (9/5/93) 14-38 (L) Scott Secules Patriots vs. Houston (10/17/93) 14-28 (L) Tom Brady Patriots vs. Indianapolis (9/30/01) 44-13 (W) Matt Cassel Patriots at NY Jets (9/14/08) 19-10 (W) Jimmy Garoppolo Patriots at Arizona (9/11/16) 23-21 (W) Jacoby Brissett Patriots vs. Houston (9/22/16) 27-0 (W) Mac Jones Patriots vs. Miami (9/12/21) 16-17 (L) Bailey Zappe Patriots vs. Detroit (10/9/22) 29-0 (W) Drake Maye Patriots vs. Houston (10/13/24) 21-41 (L)

FIRST TO THROW AT LEAST 3 TDS AND LEAD HIS TEAM IN RUSHING IN FIRST START SINCE AT LEAST 1950
Maye threw 3 touchdowns and led his team in rushing with 38 yards. He is the first quarterback to lead his team in rushing and throw for at least 3 touchdown passes in his first career start since at least 1950.

BOUTTE HAS FIRST CAREER TOUCHDOWN RECEPTION
WR Kayshon Boutte caught his first NFL touchdown when he was on the receiving end of a 40-yard touchdown pass from QB Drake Maye in the second quarter.


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Patriots lose Drake Maye’s first start, 41-21, to Houston Texans

Patriots lose Drake Maye’s first start, 41-21, to Houston Texans

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FOXBORO — Drake Maye made his first career start, but the results were the same for the New England Patriots in their Week 6 clash with the Houston Texans. The Patriots lost their fifth straight game, 41-21, to fall to 1-5 on the season.

Despite the loss, there were a lot of signs of hope for the future as Maye threw three touchdown passes (giving him the team-lead for the season) and the Patriots scored more points on Sunday than they had in any of their previous five games. With Maye now starting, the Patriots are at least building toward something with their young QB.

But the Texans were too much for New England to handle on Sunday. Houston found the end zone on each of their first two possessions, and then turned three second-half turnovers by the Patriots into 17 points. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes of his own on 20-for-31 passing while running back Joe Mixon rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown in his return.

New England turned the ball over four times overall: Two interceptions and a fumble by Maye and a fumble by tight end Austin Hooper. The Patriots’ run game was also non-existent without Rhamondre Stevenson, as New England averaged just 3.2 yards on 26 carries for just 82 rushing yards.

“Drake made some good decisions out there. I thought he had some good reads, I thought he tried to get the ball out of his hands, I thought he did a good job extending plays with his legs to get first downs. We just gotta be better,” New England head coach Jerod Mayo said after the loss. “We let him down. I feel like I let him down.”

Drake Maye makes first career start for Patriots

Drake Maye did a bit of everything in his debut. He threw a lovely touchdown. He threw a bad pick. He scrambled for some yards and he fumbled. He even recorded his first career tackle.

Maye was up and down in his first career start, which is expected from a 22-year-old rookie. The Patriots had a quick three-and-out on their first possession and Maye threw a bad interception to end New England’s second possession. However, the Texans didn’t turn that gift of a possession into any points.

Maye threw a lovely deep ball to Kayshon Boutte just before halftime, connecting with the receiver down the right sideline for a 40-yard touchdown strike to cut the Houston lead to 14-7.

The Patriots had momentum on their side as the second half got underway, but that vanished when Maye was strip-sacked by Danielle Hunter and Houston recovered at the New England 10-yard line. The Texans turned that fumble into a quick touchdown when Stroud hit Stefon Diggs in the end zone to give Houston a 21-7 lead.

Maye led the Patriots on another touchdown drive late in the third quarter, throwing for 64 yards and capping off the drive with a six-yard touchdown to Hunter Henry to make it a 27-14 game. 

He had another solid drive early in the fourth quarter. Maye scrambled for 15 yards on a second-and-5, and then hit DeMario Douglas over the middle on a third-and-5, which the speedy receiver turned into a 35-yard touchdown for New England to make it a 34-21 game with 9:24 left. But the Texans answered with a four-play touchdown drive, capped off by a 54-yard touchdown run by Dameon Pierce to put the game out of reach.

The Pats didn’t win, but the offense looked functional for the majority of the game. The deep threat is back with Maye at quarterback, and he also made the Texans pay a few times with his legs. 

Overall, Maye was 20-for-33 for 243 yards, three touchdowns, a pair of interceptions, and a lost fumble. He also ran for 38 yards on five carries to finish as New England’s leading rusher. 

Turnovers crushed New England’s chances in Week 6

The Patriots turned the ball over four times on Sunday, leading to 17 points for the Texans. Houston could have had more too but Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a 40-yard field goal attempt after Maye’s first pick.

Maye’s fumble turned into a Houston touchdown out of the break, and the Pats fumbled away their third possession of the second half as well. Maye felt the pressure on first down and threw a short pass to Hooper, but Houston linebacker Henry To’oTo’o knocked the ball out of the tight end’s hands and Bullock recovered at the New England 31. Houston turned that into a field goal. 

The Texans got another turnover when they deflected a short attempt by Maye to Antonio Gibson, and it went right into the hands of Anderson at the New England 26. Joe Mixon broke off a 20-yard touchdown run two plays later to give the Texans a 34-14 lead.

The Texans had a minus-three turnover differential heading into Week 6, but were plus-three in that department on Sunday.

Patriots will face Jaguars in London in Week 7

Up next for the Patriots is a trip across the pond for a matchup against the 1-5 Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London. The Jags are already overseas, having lost to the Chicago Bears, 35-16, on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Jacksonville defense in Week 6, while Trevor Lawrence was sacked three times and picked off once for the Jaguars. Chicago running backs ran for 152 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry against Jacksonville on Sunday.

Matt Geagan

Matthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.




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Drake Maye sees first NFL action

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• Patriots end streak of eight straight wins at the Jets.
• Patriots have two players finish with 10 tackles.
• LB Raekwon McMillan makes second start with the Patriots and first since 2022.
• McMillan ties career-high in tackles.
• WR DeMario Douglas has career-high with 7 receptions.
• QB Drake Maye sees first action.
• T Caedan Wallace makes first NFL start.

TEAM NOTES PATRIOTS END STREAK OF EIGHT STRAIGHT ROAD WINS AT THE JETS
The Patriots ended a streak of eight straight road wins at the New York Jet (2016-23). It is tied for the longest road win streak in team history. The Patriots won eight straight at Buffalo (2012-19) and at the New York Jets (2001-08).

PATRIOTS HAVE TWO PLAYERS FINISH WITH 10 TACKLES
LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Jahlani Tavai each finished with 10 total tackles. The Patriots had one game in 2023 when two players finished with 10 tackles each. S Kyle Dugger and Tavai each had 10 total tackles

INDIVIDUAL NOTES MCMILLAN TIES CAREER HIGH WITH 10 TACKLES
LB Raekwon McMillan started at linebacker in place of the injured LB J’Whaun Bentley and registered 10 total tackles to tie his career-high. He had 10 tackles on Dec. 23, 2018 vs. Jacksonville and on Oct. 13, 2019 vs. Washington while he played with Miami.

TAVAI HAS FIFTH CAREER 10-TACKLE GAME
LB Jahlani Tavai had his fifth career game with at least 10 total tackles. He had two 10-tackle games in 2023, including a career-high 14 tackles at Pittsburgh on Dec. 7, 2023.

BARINGER EXTENDS STREAK
P Bryce Baringer extended his streak of 20-straight games with at least one 50-yard punt with a 57-yard punt in the first quarter vs. Seattle. The NFL record for the longest streak with at least one 50-yard punt since 1970 is 38 by Shane Lechler (2007-10).

DOUGLAS HAS CAREER-HIGH IN RECEPTIONS
WR DeMario Douglas led the team with 7 receptions for 69 yards. His 7 receptions are a new single-game career high. He had 6 receptions vs. Indianapolis on Nov. 13 and at the New York Giants on Nov. 26 as a rookie in 2023.

DOUGLAS HAS FIRST RUSHING ATTEMPT OF 2024
Douglas had his first rushing attempt of 2024 with a 9-yard urn in the second quarter. In 2023, Douglas had 8 rushing attempts for 41 yards with a 20-yard vs. Buffalo on Oct. 22, 2023

WISE RECORDS HIS FIRST SACK OF THE SEASON
DL Deatrich Wise Jr. registered his first sack of the season with a 6-yard sack of Jets QB Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter.

UCHE RECORDS FIRST SACK OF THE 2024 SEASON
LB Joshua Uche dropped QB Aaron Rodgers for an 8-yard sack in the third quarter for his first sack of the 2024 season.

2024 FIRST-ROUND DRAFT PICK QB DRAKE MAYE SEES FIRST NFL ACTION
QB Drake Maye saw action in his first NFL action, entering the game with 4:24 to play in the fourth quarter. He completed his first pass to RB Antonio Gibson for no gain and finished 4-of-8 for 22 yards.

• G Michael Jordan started at left guard in place of the injured G Sidy Sow for the third straight game.
• LB Raekwon McMillan started at linebacker in place of the injured LB Ja’Whaun Bentley. It was McMillan’s 34th career start and second start as a member of the Patriots. His other start with the Patriots was at Miami on Sept. 11, 2022.
• LB Joe Giles-Harris was elevated from the practice squad and played in his first game for the Patriots. He played on special teams and entered the game at linebacker in the third quarter. It was his first defensive snaps since the 2020 season when he was with Jacksonville on Jan. 3, 2021 at Indianapolis.
• 2024 fourth-round draft pick T Caedan Wallace made his first NFL start when he lined up at left tackle in place of Vederian Lowe, who was out with an injury. Wallace started 40 games at right tackle during his college career. He joins WR Ja’Lynn Polk and G Layden Robinson as member so the 2024 draft class to earn a starting assignment.
• CB Alex Austin played on defense for the first time in 2024.
• LB Curtis Jacobs saw his first NFL action on the kickoff return team. He was inactive for the first two games of the year.
• DT Eric Johnson II saw his first game action as a member of the Patriots.
• T Zach Thomas was used as a tackle eligible tight end. He entered the game at left guard in the fourth quarter.
• WR Kayshon Boutte saw his first snaps of the 2024 season. Boutte caught a 2-yard pass from QB Drake Maye in the fourth quarter.
• T Demontrey Jacobs saw his first NFL action, entering the game in the fourth quarter at left tackle for the injured Caedan Wallace.


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Drake Maye made his NFL debut late in Patriots’ loss to Jets

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BOSTON — Drake Maye made his NFL debut for the Patriots on Thursday night, relieving veteran Jacoby Brissett late in the team’s 24-3 loss to the New York Jets. Could a permanent change be coming in New England?

Head coach Jerod Mayo wouldn’t say after the game.

“I don’t know. We talk about every single week, you’re competing for a job. We’ll get together as a coaching staff and see how it goes,” Mayo said Thursday night.

Chances are the Patriots will go right back to Brissett. But Mayo and his staff have a week-and-a-half to decide before the Patriots play the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4.  

Drake Maye comes in for Jacoby Brissett late in loss to Jets

After Brissett was sacked five times and managed just 98 passing yards against the New York defense, Maye entered with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter with the Patriots down 24-3. His first NFL pass was nearly picked off, as he televised a throw to tight end Austin Hooper and Michael Carter nearly jumped the route. After a second-down handoff to Antonio Gibson picked up seven yards, Maye was violently taken down by Jamien Sherwood for a one-yard scramble.

Maye was sacked on a first-down drop back after the two-minute warning. He used his legs and scrambled for 11 yards on a fourth-and-8, and then after three straight incompletions, he connected with DeMario Douglas for 15 yards to keep the drive alive and get the Patriots down to the New York 7-yard line. 

But the drive — and the game — ended when Maye was sacked on first-and-goal. He completed four of his eight passes for 22 yards while scrambling for 12 yards on two carries in his professional debut.

Mayo said it was his decision to insert Maye on Thursday night. While he was worried about the state of the offensive line, which gave up seven sacks and 15 QB hits on the night, he saw a chance to get the rookie some game action.

“Good opportunity for him to get out with the ones and put a few drives together. He moved the ball,” Mayo said of Maye. “We’ll watch the film and evaluate.”

Maye said he was ready when his number was called, and was excited for the chance to make some plays.

“Just get ready to go out there. No regrets, go out and have some fun,” he said. “My first pass got tipped so I’m glad it hit the ground.”

Maye was happy to get a few first downs on his 16 plays, but added that he “can’t take stupid sacks.”

Jacoby Brissett responds to Drake Maye playing vs. Jets

Brissett was asked about being replaced by Maye, and he was as professional as ever. Asked if he believes the starting job is still his, Brissett replied “of course.”

“I don’t make personnel decisions. My job is to go out and get ready to play, put good football on tape, and put my best foot forward,” he said.

Brissett was asked about Mayo being non-committal about his starting quarterback going forward, but didn’t want to say much. 

“I’m not going to overreact to something I didn’t hear,” he said.

Maye gave Brissett some props for battling throughout the game on Thursday. 

“He kept getting up every time. He made some great throws tonight,” Maye said of Brissett. “I’m pulling for him. He’s a great teammate.”

Will this speed up New England’s plan for Drake Maye?

The Patriots had planned to take things slow with their potential franchise quarterback, but now might have to throw him into the fire given how lifeless the offense has been with Brissett under center. However, the struggles of the offensive line might keep Maye on the bench for a little longer.

The Patriots drafted Maye third overall in April out of North Carolina and he showed a lot of growth throughout training camp and the preseason. He didn’t play much in New England’s preseason opener, completing two of his three passes for 19 yards. But he saw extended time on the field in the second preseason game, and completed six of his 11 passes for 47 yards while adding a four-yard touchdown run on a nice read option.

In New England’s preseason finale, Maye was 13-of-20 for 126 yards and a touchdown pass against the Washington Commanders. He finished his preseason 21-of-34 for 192 yards with one touchdown pass and a touchdown run. 

While Brissett beat out Maye to be the team’s Week 1 starting quarterback, Mayo confirmed last week that Maye was getting about 30 percent of the reps with New England’s starters in practice. Mayo said backups usually only get about five percent of the snaps with starters, but the extended run with the team’s starters was part of Maye’s development plan.

Now we’ll see if that plan is fast-tracked to give the New England offense some life, or if concerns about the offensive line will keep the Maye in a safe place on the sideline. 

Matt Geagan

Matthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.


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