FOXBOROUGH - Despite losing on Sunday, the Patriots went places offensively that they haven't been able to all season. They scored a season-high 21 points, and rookie Drake Maye threw for 243 yards - 75 more than Jacoby Brissett managed in any game this year.
"We got some stuff to build on, good stuff on film," said Maye during his Wednesday press conference. "(We) gotta run the football. That will help (running backs had just 44 yards vs. the Texans). And then, for me, (I) just feel like I was seeing it pretty well. Missed that first one across the middle to Pop (Douglas) and then kind of (got in) a groove later on with Pop, but we got some guys in the huddle that can make some plays. My job is to get it to them and let them do their thing."
Even if you want to argue that some of the points and counting stats from Maye came in 'garbage time,' the bottom line is that he did unlock areas of the field (the bomb to Kayshon Boutte), and some of the offensive pieces that have been largely ineffective with Brissett at quarterback. And that's a win, assuming those aspects can continue to be part of who this offense is and wants to become.
"He is able to move in the pocket, escape things, scramble drill," listed Hunter Henry. "He's a willing runner. So, I think there's ability and things that we can do with him, and he's very, very talented, so that's always good."
"Anytime with the quarterback, I think the offense is tailored towards who's under center, who's getting the snaps and getting the ball every play," said Maye. "So, I think AVP [Alex Van Pelt] has done a nice job asking me what I like, what I don't like, and what I feel comfortable with. I think that'll continue to grow as the weeks go by, so that's something that we're kind of trying to figure out.
"At the same time, it's something that I think can make it tough on the defense because I feel like we can do a lot of different things. I can kind of make it hard for the defense doing some different stuff."
Maye's ability to navigate the pocket and, at times, step out of the pocket proved to be a boon for the Pats. He ran for 38 yards and created an explosive with his scrambling, escaping the backside rush before hitting Henry for that 30-yarder on the team's second touchdown drive. That march was capped by a short scoring toss to Henry and came off play action. Maye didn't spend much time under center during his time at North Carolina and looked clunky during the spring and summer operating from there. It wasn't perfect on Sunday, but there were positive results (he was 4-of-4 throwing off play action) and a positive process to get there. The 22-year-old has had to learn to read and then re-read defenses in those situations where he has to turn his back. That doesn't come easy for quarterbacks; quite frankly, some never fully grasp it. It's early, and there's a minuscule sample size, but that's a good start.
"No doubt. That's something that in practice that you get - we've done a nice job of getting some under-center reps of play action, and our defense does a good job of flipping up the coverages and changing the picture post-snap. And that's something that I've really started to kind of understand and learn of. 'Hey, this picture I'm seeing when I first get the snappers when I turn my back and look at it, maybe different.' So just trying to find my check-downs or find an outlet, that'd be something that I kind of build towards, and then, other than that, try to exploit them with matchups."
That last line Maye uttered has the receiving group excited, along with his playmaking ability. In the post-game, Douglas said he would run through a wall for Maye, and the word 'aura' was thrown around. It's safe to say the quarterback appreciated those comments.
"I think it means the world. Gives me confidence. I think those guys do great job of pumping me up. They're pumping me up throughout the game, on the sideline, before the game, in the huddle. ... I try to do the same for them."
Maye didn't hang his head after throwing his first interception or second. The strip sack was a demoralizing play, but the rookie shrugged that off, too. Of course, ultimately, you'd like to see those mistakes eliminated or, at the very least, reduced. Maye acknowledged that. But those errors didn't shake his confidence, and he didn't lose what Douglas calls his "swag."
"One thing I saw for him was that he obviously made some mistakes early, but just being able to bounce back was big," noticed Henry. "It can be tough sometimes to make those mistakes early, but he just continued to fire away and continued to go. I think that mental toughness is something that he can build on. We can all build on, and we can learn from. So that was huge, watching him just continue to go after it even after early mistakes."
The Jaguars defense he's facing in London this weekend is 31st in points allowed (29.7) and total yards (390) and dead last in passing yards allowed (276.7), red zone defense, and touchdown touchdown-to-interception ratio (14-to-1). In other words, a golden opportunity for more growth offensively and to snap a five-game losing streak.