Patriots
The 41 points scored by the Texans in Maye’s first start are the most allowed by the Patriots since 2021.
Jerod Mayo during the Patriots’ loss to the Texans. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
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One Big Thing: Drake Maye showed flashes in rocky first start
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Drake Maye showcased his talent and 3 other takeaways from the Patriots’ loss to the Texans
The Texans became the first team since the 2021 Buffalo Bills to score 40 or more points against the Patriots, and Jerod Mayo expressed his frustration with the performance after the game.
The Patriots committed nine penalties, including six in the first half. That number is too high, Mayo said, and it’s part of the “same old story” of what the Patriots are doing wrong week in and week out.
He also mentioned that the Patriots turned the ball over four times, compared to just one for the Texans.
Mayo, who coached the Patriots linebackers for several years before being promoted to head coach, offered a blunt critique of his defense.
“Defensively, I would say the fundamentals of tackling, our running adjustments need to improve,” Mayo said. “They have to improve. I told all these guys, I said, “You should feel like shit today.” You should feel like shit. You take away these two long runs, we [allowed] two races of more than 50 meters. That’s just not winning football.
The Patriots showed some encouraging things on offense with rookie quarterback Drake Maye starting under center for the first time, Mayo said, but it wasn’t enough.
“I thought he showed a lot of composure,” Mayo said. “I thought he went out there and controlled the huddle, got those guys out of the huddle and once again made some plays.”
“It’s really encouraging. From a whole team perspective, we let him down. It was his first match and I feel like I let him down. I’m sure all the coaches feel like we let everyone down. We just have to be better.
Houston averaged 6.9 yards per rush and accumulated the same number of rushing yards as passing yards (192).
Running back Joe Mixon bounced off one of his own blockers and hit a crease as Jonathan Jones tried to shake off a Stefon Diggs block on his only touchdown of the game. Jones turned to chase Mixon, but the running back had enough clearance to rush into the end zone.
Mixon also broke off a 59-yard run up the middle, passing a diving Jahlani Tavai and running down the sideline before getting tripped by Jaylinn Hawkins.
Houston’s Dameon Pierce made three Patriots defenders miss on his 54-yard run in the fourth quarter. Anfernee Jennings lunged at him and missed. Jaquelin Roy pushed Pierce, but the running back managed to stay on his feet. Safety Kyle Dugger made an unsuccessful attempt at an arm tackle as Pierce sprinted.
“Yes, it’s very disappointing,” Mayo said. “I would say right now we have some ups and downs when it comes to getting started quickly. We have to start fast, whether we’re on defense or offense, and we just didn’t do that today.
“I thought they had settled down. But again, every play is important, and you can stop them, stop them, stop them, and then all of a sudden it’s a 50-yard run. We cannot live in this world.
The Patriots fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and the Texans led the rest of the game. Maye cut the lead to seven just before halftime, but the game spiraled out of control in the second half.
“Guys just have to take responsibility,” defensive end Godchaux said of the mistakes, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Even if you think the game is over, say in the third quarter, it’s just about being proud. You wouldn’t say there was any pride there. I really don’t know how to win, that’s what it comes down to. It’s just frustrating, man.
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud didn’t miss a beat without top target Nico Collins, who missed the game after being placed on injured reserve.
Stroud completed 20 of 31 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. Stefon Diggs led the Texans in receiving with 6 catches on 7 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s a great receiver. He’s been doing this for a long time,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. “On the touchdown, he ran a good route. It’s life in a corner. You’re going to get beat, so credit to him, he ran a great course and CJ put it on him and the other play was just trusting my technique and going out there and doing that.
Cornerback Marcus Jones had the lone takeaway for the Patriots, an interception by Stroud that came off a pass thrown by Marte Mapu.
“Even though the game didn’t go the way we wanted, there were some great things that happened in the game that need to be done consistently,” Jones said. “The margin for error in the National Football League is very slim and the fact is we have to make sure we go back, anything that we didn’t handle, we have to practice it and make sure we do the right things for next week.”
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