While rookies Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels dominated headlines in the first five weeks, Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick, went largely unnoticed. And when the quarterback finally got his start this weekend, he was unable to save the New England Patriots from a 41-21 loss to the Texans. Even so, his performance has been receiving praise from every corner of the NFL world.
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Maye threw for 243 yards, completing 20 out of 33 pass attempts, and scored three touchdowns in his first NFL game as a starter, rightly impressing NFL legends like JJ Watts.
During his appearance on NFL Today, the former defensive end asserted that the quarterback’s performance would surely instill hope in New England fans, despite the outcome being a loss.
“If I’m a Patriots’ fan, I’m watching today’s game. Yes, you lost and gave up a bunch of points. But I am encouraged by the way Drake Maye played. I am definitely encouraged going forward that he is a guy that I can get excited about.”
Another veteran on the panel, Matt Ryan, echoed a similar sentiment, despite previously having doubts about the young rookie.
The former quarterback had previously tweeted “I think it’s too soon” when the news of the Patriots choosing Maye as their starter surfaced. However, the former quarterback acknowledged that his views have since then changed.
“I said prior to the show, I don’t think it was the right time, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw from him.”
Ryan further praised Maye’s “athleticism,” which, in the former QB’s view, motivated the offense to play better. He also pointed out how the QB was throwing football down the field, an aspect that the Patriots had been lacking in recent times.
“And I think the level of athleticism that he provided to that football team, making the guys around him better. Also throwing the football down the field, which is an area they had struggles coming into the game. Good on Drake Maye. He came out there, he performed really well.”
To be fair, both analysts’ opinions are well-founded when considering Maye’s record-setting debut this weekend.
Maye etches name in NFL history
In the Sunday matchup against the Texans, the 22-year-old rookie quarterback became the first QB since 1950 to throw three or more TDs in his first NFL start while also leading his franchise in rushing yards.
LEGENDARY: #Patriots Drake Maye is the first quarterback since at least 1950 to throw 3 or more touchdown passes and lead his team in rushing yards in his #NFL debut.
INSANE. pic.twitter.com/SPNI05xXMs
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 14, 2024
However, Maye didn’t just find himself on the right side of history!
Given that the Patriots defense surrendered a staggering 41 points to the CJ Stroud-led offense, it was clear why Maye’s team faced defeat. Well, as it turns out, while Maye didn’t receive support from his defense in his first career start, it took Tom Brady 173 games as a starter before his defense allowed that many points.
Therefore, if the Patriots can create a positive environment for the QB to thrive and develop, much like what they did with Brady, putting equal emphasis on offense and defense, Maye will ball out every time he takes the field and turn losses into wins.
