Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye makes first career start Sunday against Texans: reports

According to multiple reports, the New England Patriots will use rookie quarterback Drake Maye in their Week 6 matchup against the Houston Texans.

Maye was the third overall pick in April’s NFL Draft and will be making his first career start. Veteran Jacoby Brissett started the first five games of the season for the Patriots, who are 1-4 and in last place in the AFC East.

Maye, 22, has played just one game for New England so far this season. During a loss to the New York Jets in Week 3, he played in garbage time, completing 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards. He was also fired twice.

The Patriots will need Maye to revitalize an anemic offense. In Week 5, New England is averaging just 119.4 yards per game, last in the NFL. The team’s overall passer rating is 73.1, third-worst in the league. Brissett has only thrown two touchdowns, tied with the Miami Dolphins for the fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL.

New England is also second to last in the league in points per game and total yards per game.

Maye played three seasons in college for North Carolina and was named the 2022 ACC Player of the Year. The two quarterbacks selected ahead of him in the draft, Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Washington’s Jayden Daniels, have started every game of the season for their respective teams so far this season.

After failing to select a quarterback in the first round between 1994 and 2020, Maye is the second quarterback the Patriots have selected since 2021, following Mac Jones.

New England plays the Texans, who suffered a loss to the Dolphins in which the Patriots only had 148 yards passing.