Drake Maye's first start as an NFL quarterback with the New England Patriots went about as expected against the Houston Texans on Sunday. For most of the first half Maye had no room to breathe as his paltry offensive line was overwhelmed by the Texans' elite pass rush. Consequentially he threw his first career interception on his third-ever pass attempt, airmailing his pass way over his receiver's head. Maye did hustle for the tackle afterwards, it should be noted.
The rookie looked in over his head and New England as a whole looked overwhelmed by a much more talented Houston team. However, things did turn around for the Patriots near the end of the second quarter as Maye threw his first career touchdown pass. And it was a beauty.
With fewer than 30 seconds to go before halftime, Maye tossed a picture-perfect deep pass to Kayshon Boutte down the sideline for a 40-yard score.
Drake Maye DIME for his first career touchdown pass!
— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
📺: #HOUvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
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What were the Texans doing with that coverage with that little time on the clock? It's hard to say. But it doesn't matter. Maye saw the mistake and took advantage with an excellent throw.
His deep-ball accuracy was one of Maye's top traits coming out of UNC and a large part of the reason he was selected third in the 2024 NFL draft by New England. Most didn't expect to see much of it this season, though, given the Patriots' issues in pass protection and the complete lack of a deep threat on the roster.
Patriots fans are surely happy to be surprised. What a throw by Maye, and the Patriots entered the locker room down 14-7.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Drake Maye's First NFL Touchdown Pass for Patriots Came on Picture-Perfect Deep Ball .
