The Houston Texans raced out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead against the Patriots, but New England showed some fight to stay in the game, closing the deficit to 14-7 at halftime off a 40-yard touchdown bomb from rookie Drake Maye to Kayshon Boutte that ignited the Gillette Stadium crowd.
But New England could not carry that momentum into the second half as two fumbles in their first three possessions of the third quarter resulted in Houston pulling away to an eventual 41-21 victory that dropped the Patriots to 1-5 on the season.
There were some bright spots for the rookie Maye but not enough to make a difference on the scoreboard, especially with the rookie directly contributing to three turnovers that offset the impact of his three touchdown throws.
Here are the highs and the lows from the start of a new era in New England.
1. Texans Giddy Up Out of Gate
The Texans came out of the gate strong with an 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that saw them convert two third-down opportunities. The first went to Stefon Diggs on 3rd-and-6 as C.J. Stroud hit Diggs on a corner route, while the second came via a pass interference penalty on Marte Mapu, who stuck on tight end Dalton Schultz a little too long for the referee's liking.
The Patriots defense struggled to pressure Stroud on his initial passing attempts, as the Texans quarterback had time to survey the field comfortably. The Pats did have some solid stops against the run, however, the penalty by Mapu in the end zone proved too much and Houston grabbed an early 7-0 lead that set the stage for rookie Drake Maye to take the field for the first start of his NFL career.
But it was a quick three-and-out for Maye after two runs that netted just one yard and a skyed pass on third down that wasn't close to anyone.
Rookie Ben Brown made the surprise start at center after just signing with the team on Wednesday night. The reasoning was unclear, though last week's starter Nick Leverette was on the injury report all week with an ankle injury.
After a 40-yard punt by Bryce Baringer was returned for 19 yards, Houston took over on their second possession at the New England 45-yard line.
They'd quickly add another touchdown, with another third-down pass interference call helping keep the drive alive. The drive was eight plays, 45 yards with Joe Mixon picking up the second touchdown of the game.
Just like that it was 14-0 Houston, as the Texans ran 19 plays to the Patriots' three to establish a quick double-digit lead.
2. Maye Gets a Completion, Then Gets Picked
Drake Maye picked up his first completion on the Patriots next play, rolling out on a bootleg and hitting Kendrick Bourne for an eight-yard gain. But after a two-yard loss on a second-down run, Maye overshot Pop Douglas on a crossing route and the pass was intercepted to set up Houston with their second-straight possession that started in Patriots territory.
The Patriots defense would hold Houston to a field goal attempt after each team picked up third-down penalties. Keion White came with the pressure to force the incompletion, the first time New England's rush and coverage looked synced up. The kick sailed wide and the Patriots got a reprieve that prevented the game from getting out of hand early in the second quarter.
Maye would pick up a first down on a scramble on the ensuing drive's first play but once again the Patriots would end up punting, picking up their fourth penalty of the game as well as their first sack of Maye on the final third down.
3. Trading Big Plays
Houston started off their next drive with Joe Mixon ripping off a 59-yard run, gashing the right side of the defense and accelerating up the sideline for the huge play. It was a deflating moment but one the Patriots would counter.
Two plays later New England countered with a big play of their own. Stroud took a shot in the end zone targeting his tight end Dalton Schultz but Marte Mapu got an arm in to break up the pass and it deflected to Marcus Jones for the critical interception. Jones returned the pick out of the end zone to give New England a hugely needed big play.
The Patriots were hanging on by a thread in the second quarter and thanks to a missed field goal and interception they stayed in the game, down 14-0.
4. Maye Drops the Bomb
After trading big plays, the teams traded punts. New England's penalty problems continued with their seventh of the game on their punt return which killed any positive field position they gained from forcing their first three-and-out of the contest deep in Houston territory.
Maye started to find a bit of a rhythm in the quick passing game, hitting on two passes and picking up a first down before a sack set them back again, and forced New England's fourth punt of the first half.
At this point, starter Vederian Lowe had left the game with an ankle injury and was replaced by Zach Thomas. Just when New England thought they might have some continuity along the offensive line this week things were quickly turned upside down with Brown starting and Thomas entering.
The Pats defense continued to play better, forcing a second-straight punt and giving the offense a last possession in the first half. After struggling to move the ball for most of the game, Maye continued to settle in. The passes were still a bit high at times but his growing confidence was apparent on gains of 22 and seven to Pop Douglas.
Then came the offensive highlight of the 2024 season thus far, as Maye dropped back and uncorked a 40-yard bomb that perfectly dropped into Kayshon Boutte's hands for the unexpected touchdown. It was a slow start for New England on both sides of the ball but the Patriots captured some momentum to end the first half, not just within the game but within the entire season.
It was 14-7 Texans at the break.
5. Texans Take Over
The Patriots had to be feeling pretty good at halftime after turning around their defensive effort and hitting a bomb for a score but a frustrating sequence took place right out of the gate in the second half. On the first play, the officials missed a facemask on Antonio Gibson and one play later Maye was sacked and lost the football which Houston recovered.
Two plays later Houston scored their first touchdown since the first quarter and reestablished a two-score lead, 21-7, as New England couldn't carry over their momentum from the first half.
Following another three-and-out by the Patriots offense the Texans strung together another sustained drive to add a field goal that extended the score to 24-7. The drive lasted 10 plays, their first double-digit play total on a drive since the first drive of the game. Houston was firmly back in control of the game halfway through the third quarter.
The Patriots descent continued on the first play of their third possession of the second half, as Austin Hooper fumbled away the team's third turnover of the game. The defense didn't allow a first down but Houston already had enough yardage for another field goal to make it 27-7.
6. Ups and Downs Continue for Patriots
Maye and the offensive continued to fight, with the Patriots putting together their best drive of the day despite giving up three straight scores. Maye scrambled out of the packet and hit Hunter Henry for a 30-yard gain, then found Douglas across the middle for another 17 yards.
Three plays later, Maye threw his second touchdown of the day, this one a six-yarder to Henry to make it 27-14 late in the fourth quarter. It was a seven-play, 70-yard drive that showed impressive bounceback by Maye and the offense. They didn't face a single third down on the drive. Despite ups and downs, the rookie continued to make growing strides within the game and the offense showed some chemistry.
A final interception, Maye's third turnover of the game, was miraculously caught by Eric Murray with his hands wrapped around Austin Hooper to make the pick, and it put another nail in the Pats' coffin as Houston added another touchdown score to make it 34-14.
Undeterred, Maye led another scoring drive, throwing his third touchdown of the game and hitting Pop Douglas for the first touchdown of his career to close the score to 34-21 on an eight-play, 70-yard drive. It was a 35-yard touchdown pass to Douglas on a crossing route that continued to make things interesting with plenty of time left in the 13-point game.
But it took just four plays for the Texans to answer with a 54-yard touchdown run that put Houston over 40 points in the game. New England's run defense had a strange day. They were mostly stout but gave up some big scoring runs that kept them one step ahead of any potential Patriots comeback.
7. Patriots Are Now 1-5
The Patriots got off to a poor start but showed some fight despite chasing the scoreboard all game long. It was a loss on the scoreboard but there were enough flashes to build off of for the rookie. Ultimately four turnovers and Houston's explosive runs were the biggest story of the Texans victory.
The Patriots lost fumbles on two of their first three possessions of the third quarter and those set a hard precedent to overcome. Despite allowing touchdowns on the Texans first two possessions, the defense also showed some fight, forcing some timely punts and grabbing an interception to keep New England in the game. But ultimately they gave up too many plays and didn't make enough of their own.
Next week, New England is off to Old England to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team with a 1-5 record just like themselves. It will be a battle of teams that will likely have a significant impact on the draft standings once the season ends. The Patriots will look to eliminate their game-changing mistakes to give themselves more of a chance to control the flow of the game.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
