4 Patriots Who Let Drake Maye Down in First NFL Start

On Sunday at Gillette Stadium, the Drake Maye era officially commenced.

The New England Patriots and their fanbase are pinning their hopes on the third overall pick's ability to become the franchise's quarterback of the future, and overreactions to his first full game in the NFL are certainly incoming.

Early on, Maye's nerves were apparent as he airmailed an ugly interception on the second drive of the game, but the North Carolina product settled in as the game went on. When the dust settled, Maye finished 20-of-33 passing for 243 yards and three touchdowns, and two interceptions – one of which came on a wild carom play in the third quarter.

With his three passing touchdowns, Maye became only the 13th player all-time to throw three or more touchdown passes in his starting debut.

The highlight of Maye's day came with 16 seconds remaining in the first half when the rookie found Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard touchdown pass.

Maye's athleticism was also on display, as he extended several plays with his legs and gained several key first downs. On the ground, Maye added five carries for 38 yards. It might be more of a negative reflection on New England's run game, but the quarterback finished as the Patriots' leading rusher against Houston.

Despite the positives from Maye's game, Sunday's Week 6 contest goes down as a 20-point loss regardless. There were a lot of negative takeaways from a team standpoint, as the Patriots racked up nine penalties for 50 yards while allowing 368 yards of offense and 41 points to the Texans.

In his postgame media availability, Jerod Mayo shared his thoughts on New England's play in Maye's first start: "We let him down...I feel like I let him down." Following Mayo's comments, here are the four Patriots who most let Drake Maye down in his first career start on Sunday.

4. Christian Gonzalez

First things first – Christian Gonzalez has been one of the best corners in the NFL this season. Now that is out of the way, Gonzalez was not the player on Sunday that Patriots fans have grown accustomed to in his young career.

Gonzalez himself admitted that he didn't have his best game in his postgame availability, stating "I ain't feel like I played too well."

After the likes of Tyreek Hill and Garrett Wilson had been locked down by Gonzalez this season, four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs won his matchup against the Patriots corner on Sunday – making four catches on five targets for 39 yards and a touchdown with Gonzalez in coverage. The second-year defensive back also gave credit where credit is due to Diggs.

Diggs beat Gonzalez for Houston's third touchdown of the day early in the second half after the Texans had forced a Maye fumble.

Christian Gonzalez is a very good football player, but with great talent comes great expectations. The Patriots and their defense expect Gonzalez to play at the level he's shown he's capable of, and they just simply didn't get that on Sunday.