The New England Patriots dropped their fifth consecutive loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. However, a promising effort from rookie quarterback Drake Maye in his first NFL start saved another surefire somber post-game feeling for the Patriots.
With Maye under center, the offense clicked better than it has all season, and it finally opened up plays downfield. The latter is especially impressive considering they were facing one of the top defensive units in the NFL.
Many view the Texans as Super Bowl contenders, and they clearly played like it on Sunday. The Patriots are a long ways off from that level of contention, but perhaps they might get there in the future, if they continue building on what they showed against the Texans.
Here are the studs and duds for New England in Week 6:
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Marcus Jones dug the Patriots’ defense out of a hole in the first half by picking off C.J. Stroud in the end zone and negating a Texans touchdown. Not only was Jones a ball-hawk in the secondary, but he also continued to flash his playmaking abilities as a returner on special teams. Good things seem to happen whenever Jones has the ball in his hands.
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Kayshon Boutte connected on a 40-yard touchdown pass with Drake Maye before the end of the first half on Sunday. It was the longest touchdown pass by air for the Patriots since Week 16 of the 2022 season. Boutte started to show a connection with Maye in training camp, and that bond has translated to actual games.
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Ja’Lynn Polk had a rough outing in this game against a tough Texans’ secondary. There were clear opportunities for him to make plays, but he had multiple drops on potential chain-moving plays. There was hope that Polk would emerge as a reliable contributor, and that might still be the case in the future. However, as things currently stand, his on-field production has been considerably underwhelming and disappointing.
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This wasn’t a perfect performance from Drake Maye, but no one expected it to be coming into this matchup. He was facing one of the league’s top defensive units behind a shoddy offensive line. The rookie quarterback took some big hits throughout the game, but he kept getting up and fighting.
There were multiple throws, including a 40-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte, that showcased serious promise with Maye’s potential as a franchise quarterback.
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This wasn’t the typical shutdown Christian Gonzalez performance. Granted, it wasn’t a complete disaster, but he did get beat multiple times by Texans wideout Stefon Diggs. He even gave up a touchdown reception in the matchup. It’s nothing to worry about when it comes to Gonzalez’s overall game. This was simply one of those matchups where he seemed a little off.
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Austin Hooper’s third-quarter fumble was a backbreaking mistake for the Patriots. Granted, it wasn’t the only mistake in this game, but it was a big one from a veteran who has played a lot of NFL football. To make matters worse, the play occurred on his one and only reception in the game.
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One player who was surely happy to see Drake Maye take the reins at quarterback had to be DeMario “Pop” Douglas. He led the team with six receptions for 92 yards and his first NFL touchdown. The rapid and growing connection between Maye and Douglas could be something Patriots fans get to see for years to come.
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The Patriots couldn’t stop the Texans’ ground assault in this game. They gave up 192 total rushing yards and two touchdowns. It was a dominant rushing performance by the Texans, and it had the Patriots’ defense on skates throughout the game. This is where losing big-time playmakers like Christian Barmore and Ja’Whaun Bentley have really hurt New England.
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Things were disappointing across the board for New England’s offensive front. It’s to be expected when the unit is composed of recent signings and backups, outside of Mike Onwenu. This was another rough performance from the unit with Drake Maye getting sacked four times and hit eight times in total. It isn’t just the pass protection, either.
The offensive line failed in the run-blocking department as well. There wasn’t much room to run for Antonio Gibson, JaMycal Hasty and Terrell Jennings in this game.
