The New England Patriots will start rookie quarterback Drake Maye in their Week 6 matchup against the Houston Texans, per multiple reports.
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 last in the AFC East.
Maye, 22, has appeared in only one game for New England this season. He played in garbage time during a loss to the New York Jets in Week 3, completing 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards. He was also sacked twice.
The Patriots will need Maye to resuscitate an anemic offense. Through Week 5, New England is averaging only 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 thrown for only two touchdowns, which is 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 for North Carolina and was the ACC Player of the Year in 2022. 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.
After the Patriots did not select a quarterback in the first round from 1994 to 2020, Maye is the second they have chosen since 2021, the other being Mac Jones.
New England will play the Texans coming off a loss to the Dolphins, in which the Patriots had only 148 yards passing.