Is Drake Maye playing today? Update on Patriots QB's status for Week 6 vs Texans

"Is Drake Maye playing today" is a question New England Patriots fans have been asking since Week 1 when they went up against the Cincinnati Bengals and picked up their first and only win of the season so far. As the Patriots slipped to four straight losses over the last four weeks, calls began to grow for Maye to be given the keys to the offense, given the state of the product the Patriots were producing on the field.

It appears the 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins was the last straw for head coach Jerod Mayo, who then decided that he had seen enough of Jacoby Brissett, demoting him to QB2 and elevating Maye as the starter for Week 6.

Heading into the game against Houston, New England is tied with Miami for the fewest passing touchdowns in the league, handing Maye an opportunity to resurrect the offense at the Gillette Stadium.

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Is Drake Maye playing today vs Texans?

The North Carolina Tar Heels alum will make his first career start this afternoon when the Patriots host the Houston Texans.

Interestingly, the last quarterback who made his debut for the Patriots was Bailey Zappe, who lined up under center in October 2022 when they faced the Detroit Lions. The Patriots shut the Lions out in that game, winning 29-0 with Zappe throwing for 188 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Before Zappe, Mac Jones was the last QB to make an NFL debut with the Patriots in September 2021 when they went up against the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots lost that game 17-16 but Jones was quietly impressive, going 29-of-30 on passes for 281 yards and a touchdown.

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New England Patriots injury report

The Patriots have a fairly long list of injury concerns for Maye's debut. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss the game owing to a foot injury. Stevenson was demoted to RB2 last week, making Antonio Gibson the lead running back.

Elsewhere, the Patriots may not have too many weapons on offense for Maye to work his magic but wide receiver Kendrick Bourne is expected to be available to face Houston despite being listed as questionable on the Patriots injury report.

The Texans-Patriots game will kick off at 1 pm (EDT) live from Gillette Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.