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 hopes to have running back Joe Mixon, who is questionable with an ankle injury. Mixon returned to practice Thursday and was limited the past two days. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (ankle) worked in full Thursday and Friday and wasn’t given a game status.
Safety Jimmie Ward (groin), cornerback Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and wideout Robert Woods (foot) were ruled out for the Texans. Defensive end Derek Barnett (shoulder) and defensive tackle Kurt Hinish (calf) are questionable.
New England’s backfield is also banged up, and a foot injury will keep running back Rhamondre Stevenson out of the contest.
Among the questionable Patriots are safety Kyle Dugger (ankle), cornerback Isaiah Bolden (hamstring), linebacker Sione Takitaki (knee) and receiver Kendrick Bourne (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.
