How Drake Maye-led Patriots offense will look different against Texans in Week 6

The New England Patriots are taking the bubble wrap off their No. 3 overall pick Sunday against the Texans, and the expectation is the offense will look a little different than it has through the first five weeks of the season.

Drake Maye gets his first NFL start against Houston, one of the league’s top pass-rushing units. It’s a difficult defense to debut against, and the Patriots coaching staff has been equipping Maye with tools during the week of practice as he got first-team reps.

Sources tell CBS Sports there’s an expectation of more play-action passes for Maye against the Texans.

New England (1-4) has the second-lowest play-action rate in the league through five weeks with Jacoby Brissett as the starter. According to Next Gen Stats, the Patriots used play action on 13.4% of plays when the league average was 23.3%.

“I think the biggest thing is me playing on time, playing in rhythm, and trusting the guys around me,” Maye told reporters this week. “I think the game plan is not going to change. I think obviously you got a rookie quarterback going out there, but at the same time, what we do on offense is what we do on offense. So, not trying to give too many hints towards gameplan. We got a game to play Sunday, but just looking forward to it.”

No quarterback has been pressured more consistently than Brissett, who dealt with a pressure rate of 48.3% on dropbacks so far this season. But while the Patriots don’t have the most talented roster top-to-bottom, the coaching staff believed Brissett wasn’t delivering on his promise as the veteran quarterback, especially in the past two games.

The Patriots never put a timeline — publicly or privately — on when Maye would become the starter. That’s why the team and head coach Jerod Mayo can say Maye’s move to the starting lineup wasn’t “expedited” since there was no timeline to begin with.

The hope for Maye is that his athleticism, ability to create and quick decision-making will elevate a New England offense that ranks second-to-last in yards (250.8) and points (12.4).

“I think early on, just try to take what they give me, and find completions,” Maye said Wednesday. “I think that’s the biggest thing for a young quarterback going in there. Then from there, just don’t try to hunt up off-platform, off-play, off-schedule throws. I think just feel it out and play football.

“I think the biggest thing sometimes is you try to get outside the pocket when you don’t need to, and little things like that. So just play within the pocket, trust my feet, and go out there and play.”