The New England Patriots dropped their fifth consecutive loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. However, a promising effort from rookie quarterback Drake Maye in his first NFL start saved another surefire somber post-game feeling for the Patriots.
With Maye under center, the offense clicked better than it has all season, and it finally opened up plays downfield. The latter is especially impressive considering they were facing one of the top defensive units in the NFL.
Many view the Texans as Super Bowl contenders, and they clearly played like it on Sunday. The Patriots are a long ways off from that level of contention, but perhaps they might get there in the future, if they continue building on what they showed against the Texans.
Here are the studs and duds for New England in Week 6: