📈 Remember this Maye

Good Morning, Boston.

🗓️ An epic October day. October 13, 2013 will go down in Boston sports history for two things: Big Papi’s game-tying ALCS grand slam against the Tigers that immortalized “bullpen cop” Steve Horgan’s celebration; and Tom Brady’s game-winning TD to rookie WR Kenbrell Thompkins with five seconds left to knock off the undefeated New Orleans Saints. Just legends doing legendary things.

What’s on tap today:

• Celtics look lights out

• Pencil in a Pats win?

• Mayo under the microscope

Let’s get into it…

LEADING OFF

Maye’s mixed first impression

Drake Maye’s first NFL start was an encouraging roller-coaster. The rookie threw a bad interception early, missed several throws, and gifted the Texans 14 points off his three turnovers in the Pats’ 41-21 loss to Houston. He also tossed three TDs, including a beautiful 40-yarder to Kayshon Boutte for his first career score, and battled to the end as the Patriots’ defense faded. A perfect game in a Patriots upset win would’ve been the dream. But Maye’s mercurial performance is nothing to be worried about in the grand scheme of things.

First impressions have been deceiving for Pats QBs. Here’s a look at what other recent Patriots QBs have done in their first starts:

• 2001: Tom Brady threw for just 168 yards and no TDs in a win over the Colts. (The Pats still won, 44-13, thanks to three picks from Peyton Manning and two touchdowns from Antowain Smith.)

• 2016: Jimmy Garoppolo went 24-of-33 for 264 yards and a TD in a victory over Arizona while filling in during Brady’s “Deflategate” suspension.

• 2021: Mac Jones racked up 281 yards and a TD pass in a season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins. 

Neither Garoppolo nor Jones are NFL starters anymore, and Brady’s the GOAT. Who’d have thought?

That goes for other rookie QBs as well. The good news: Maye became one of just 12 rookie QBs to throw for three or more touchdowns in his first NFL start. The bad news: Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence (whom the Pats will face this week) are the only men on that list who have had decent careers. Hopefully things only go up from here as far as Maye’s trajectory is concerned.

First impressions are important, but they’re not everything. Bill Russell only scored six points in his first game with the Celtics back in 1956. He turned out fine. Of course, Pedro Martinez dominated in his first Red Sox start (no runs allowed and 11 strikeouts in seven innings versus the Seattle Mariners) and became one of baseball’s best pitchers ever. The key: they built off those opening acts and kept getting better. That’s what Maye has to do.

One thing’s certain: Maye justified the Pats’ decision to play him. Sure, it was ugly at times. Maye took four sacks and several hard hits that made fans anxious. However, he also surpassed Jacoby Brissett’s season total for TD passes (two) in just one game and made the electrifying Pop Douglas (92 yards, TD) a difference-maker on offense again. A winnable contest next week against the hapless Jaguars could really kickstart Maye’s confidence.

🤔 How do you feel about Drake Maye’s debut?

BOSTON SPORTS

Quick hits & headlines

😡 Jerod Mayo rips into defense after blowout loss. The Pats head coach didn’t mince words when it came to how poorly his defense performed in the loss to the Texans: “I told all those guys … ’You should feel like crap today.’” That might seem harsh after the Patriots limited Houston to just 14 first-half points. But poor tackling and some untimely miscues led to Houston putting the game out of reach with 27 points after the break. If the Pats want to stay competitive, giving up two 50-yard runs in a single game won’t cut it. 

🏀 The Celtics come home in style. Who cares if it’s only preseason? This team looks like an absolute wagon no matter who’s on the floor. The C’s won their first three preseason games by a combined 81 points and took a 22-point lead into the fourth quarter of Sunday’s victory over the Raptors. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown look like they’re on another level. The bench mercilessly rains three-pointers on opponents when the Jays take a seat. Who’s beating this team in the playoffs?

🏒 Bruins keep struggling with the Panthers’ mind games. Even without resident pest Matthew Tkachuk on the ice, the Bruins once again lost their composure against the Panthers in a frustrating 4-3 loss at TD Garden Monday. Be it the emotional sting of back-to-back playoff exits courtesy of the Cats or Florida's pugnacious approach, Boston made four trips to the penalty box Monday — often chasing Panthers skaters instead of the score. "They’re winning the mental side of the battle on us," Jim Montgomery declared postgame.

BEYOND BOSTON

Out-of-town report

David Ortiz lifts up Mookie Betts. The former Sox stars shared a special moment on the FOX Sports TV set after the Dodgers clinched their divisional series over the Padres — with Betts crediting Ortiz with helping him break out of his recent slump. The former Boston outfielder drove in three runs in L.A.’s blowout win over the Mets Sunday. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars are awful. The Patriots’ upcoming opponent got stomped out so badly by rookie QB Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears that they put Mac Jones in for mop-up duty by the end. If Maye slices and dices them in London next week, Jags coach Doug Pederson might get left on the tarmac.

Luther Burden III: future Patriot? Social media dubbed the standout Mizzou receiver the fastest man in Massachusetts since Paul Revere after his electric touchdown to start Sunday’s game against UMass Amherst. If the Patriots didn’t badly need an offensive tackle in the next draft, pairing Burden with Maye would be a cheat code.

LAST CALL

Cool your jets on Jerod Mayo

The Jerod Mayo criticism is going too far. Patriots fans and media went hard at Mayo for choosing to start Maye because of New England’s patchwork offensive line – only for the rookie QB to prove him right. They questioned his acumen Sunday for accepting a first-quarter penalty against the Texans, which he was later proven correct on. Now, he’s getting grilled about the state of a roster he’s not in charge of. If we’re going to criticize Mayo, let’s do it for things he deserves.

THE BEST THING I SAW IN SPORTS

The first of many

🚀 Drake Maye delivers a perfect first TD pass. They don’t get much prettier than this. Even better than the play itself was the roar from the crowd, which had been waiting to see a Patriots QB make a throw like this for weeks. In fact, no Pats QB had completed a pass traveling 50 or more yards in the air for two years until this toss. Rest assured: there’s a lot more where that came from.

🗞 That’s a wrap. I’ll be petitioning for someone to clone that football so both Maye and Boutte can say they got to keep their first touchdown ball.

Did you know … Maye is the first rookie QB to throw three or more TDs and lead his team in rushing in his first career start since at least 1950? Told you he’d make the Patriots fun to watch even if they didn’t win.

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