Drake Maye should jolt the Patriots offense when he makes his first NFL start in Week 6. That understanding spans far outside of New England with opponents well aware of the rookie’s abilities.
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans raved about the raw abilities of Maye prior to the matchup against the Patriots on Sunday.
“For Drake, what I’ve seen is a young, athletic quarterback who has a live arm,” Ryans told reporters on Wednesday, per SportsRadio 610’s Shaun Bijani. “He can move around really well in the pocket, can escape the pressures. For them, making that move looking for a spark for their offense, he can provide it. He can make all the reads, go to the right spot, makes good decisions with the football.”
Maye made his NFL debut in relief for the Patriots in a 24-3 loss to the New York Jets in Week 3. Maye attempted just eight passes, not leaving much film for the Texans to prepare for the rookie. That puts the focus back on the Houston defense that rushes the passer as well as any team in the league.
“Defensively, there’s a lot of unknown with this being his first start. A lot of unknown for us,” Ryans said. “We just have to go out and execute our job the proper way. Not so much on them and focusing on what they’re going to do or can do a lot of different things. We don’t know that. We’re just going to focus on ourselves and make sure we’re executing the details of our job.”
The Patriots and Texans kick off Sunday at Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.