Drake Maye throws 40-yard dot to Kayshon Boutte for first NFL TD

It was an up-and-down first half for New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye against the Houston Texans. However, it ended on a high note, with Maye throwing his first career touchdown pass with just seconds left in the half.

New England was running a two-minute drill ahead of the half and it looked like the Patriots would likely settle for a field goal attempt. However, the offense gave Maye a chance to throw downfield and he took advantage of it, hitting Kayshon Boutte down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown.

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You can watch Drake Maye’s first NFL touchdown pass in his first career start, here:

Here we go… Drake Maye with a perfect deep ball to Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard TD, the first of Maye's career.

A glimpse into why he was the No. 3 pick: pic.twitter.com/TIftdls1oH

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 13, 2024

Prior to that touchdown pass, Drake Maye had completed just 7 of 13 passes for 65 yards and an interception. He had also been dealing with a vicious Houston Texans pass rush that was consistently hitting him, sacking him, and hurrying him in the pocket. So, that excellent long pass was a major boost for the struggling offense. It also made the score 14-7 at the half.

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Drake Maye was the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft pick and the third quarterback selected in that draft. He played his college football at North Carolina, where he put up phenomenal numbers both running and throwing the football.

Coming into the season, the plan was to give Drake Maye time to develop behind veteran Jacoby Brissett. However, amid some extreme offensive struggles, head coach Jerod Mayo felt it was the right time to make the change and put in the quarterback who New England hopes can be a franchise star moving forward. He did also play Maye in relief against the New York Jets.

Through five whole games this season the most points New England has scored in any individual game is 20. They’ve also scored 10 or fewer points twice. So, it’s not a surprise that the team has gone 1-4 to this point.

While Brissett struggled, a major reason for those offensive issues has been the offensive line. Captain and star center David Andrews is injured. On top of that, as the team tries to find the right combination, the Patriots have started six different combinations along the offensive line.

Jerod Mayo confirms Drake Maye will start for Patriots moving forward

Following his decision to start Drake Maye, head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed that he was sticking with the young quarterback moving forward.

“Going forward, I think now, Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward. He’s been getting better every single week, as I said before, you know, at the end of training camp, he actually was trending at a very high rate. That’s continued through the early part of the season,” Mayo said.

“It was solely my decision to make this choice. I had a conversation, one-on-one, with Jacoby. I had a conversation with Drake. We’re all on board. I would also say, Jacoby’s a warrior, and he took the news very well, like a professional, like you would expect from a guy like that.”