A new era will begin in New England when the Patriots welcome the Houston Texans to Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday afternoon.
No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye is scheduled to make his first career start for New England (1-4), which sputtered with Jacoby Brissett under center.
Maye was able to get his feet wet at the end of a 24-3 loss to the New York Jets back in Week 3, completing 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards, and he’s now looking forward to taking on the role of QB1.
“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Maye said of drawing the start against Houston. “Something you dream of, getting your first start in the NFL. So excited to get out there with the guys, take advantage of having the full week to get prepared and try to put my best foot forward and help the team win.”
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo hopes that Maye’s athleticism will allow him to escape any pressure he faces behind a porous offensive line. Brissett was sacked 17 times through the first five games of the season.
“I think now Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward,” Mayo said. “He’s been getting better every single week as I said before. At the end of training camp, he actually was trending at a very high rate, and that has continued through the early part of the season.”
Houston’s front seven will try to wreak more havoc than it did last Sunday, when defensive tackle Khalil Davis recorded the Texans’ lone sack in a 23-20 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bills.
With Maye only having 16 NFL snaps under his belt, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans realizes his defense may end up having to learn about the 22-year-old signal-caller on the fly on Sunday.
“Defensively, there’s a lot of unknown with this being (Maye’s) first start,” Ryans said. “A lot of unknown for us. We just have to go out and execute in our job the proper way — not so much about them and focusing on what they’re gonna do, or can do, they can do a lot of different things. …
“We’re just gonna focus on ourselves and making sure we execute the details of our job.”
Although the Texans (4-1) won’t have to adjust to a quarterback change, their offense will have a bit of a new look, as wide receiver Nico Collins was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury.
Collins, who will miss a minimum of four games, amassed 32 receptions for a league-leading 567 yards through the first five weeks of the season.
Houston could also be without running back Joe Mixon, who is dealing with an ankle injury and was one of nine Texans to miss practice on Wednesday. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (ankle), safety Jimmie Ward (groin) and defensive end Derek Barnett (shoulder) were also among those held out.
Running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) was limited during the session.
New England’s backfield is also banged up, with a foot injury keeping running back Rhamondre Stevenson out of practice on Wednesday. Safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) was sidelined, too.
Nine Patriots were limited, including receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee), cornerback Marcus Jones (groin) and offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (knee).
After a season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals, New England has dropped four games in a row, most recently falling 15-10 to the visiting Miami Dolphins last Sunday.
