The New England Patriots announced Drake Maye as their starting quarterback on Tuesday for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. It appears the rookie has given the entire team some much-needed energy heading into the Week 6 showdown.
Maye saw limited action against the New York Jets back in Week 3. He went 4-of-8 passing in that game for 22 yards on one drive late in the fourth quarter. Now, he’s set to make his first official NFL start, as the Patriots try to put an end to a four-game losing streak.
Time will tell how Maye does on the football field.
“Drake went out there and performed well overall,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said, via NESN.com’s Keagan Stiefel. “We have to wait and see if it happens during the game, but he’s done a good job. I feel like there’s a renewed sense of energy throughout the team, and now it just comes down to Sunday, going out there and executing.
“… You can feel it, first of all, before you even see anything you can feel the guys are locked in and ready to go. Guys are running back to the huddle, just ready for the next rep, so it’s encouraging.”
Maye will be tasked with leading a Patriots offense that ranks last in the NFL.
The Patriots have struggled to find a spark offensively, and Maye could provide it. Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt noted that the young quarterback went 6-of-6 on throws against blitz packages during a practice earlier in the week.
Hopefully, that is a sign of things to come.