Drake Maye garnered all the attention late Sunday afternoon after making his first NFL start against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. But if you heard the remarks of the New England Patriots teammate who caught Maye’s first touchdown pass, you may have raised an eyebrow.
“The past couple of weeks, we’ve been starting slow,” wide receiver Kayshon Boutte said in his press conference after the Patriots’ 41-21 loss to the Texans. “So, I feel like we’re not aggressive enough as we’re supposed to be. And I feel like we just need to be more aggressive, because I feel like times where we are aggressive, the ball is actually moving and we’re getting places.”
That’s a wide receiver essentially calling out his offensive coordinator for having a game plan that’s too conservative. But Boutte’s comments didn’t cause much consternation — in part because Maye’s impressive performance dominated the postgame conversation, and in part because Boutte was speaking an obvious truth.
On the latest edition of NBC Sports Boston’s Quick Slants, Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran explained why he took no issue with Boutte’s remarks following Sunday’s game.
“I don’t hate that. I really don’t,” Curran told co-host Kayla Burton, as seen in the video above. “… There have been people who’ve been saying that Kayshon Boutte might be the upgrade they need. He’s been good for two years. He keeps getting put in the doghouse for ridiculous reasons.
“And that’s why I like the fact that they’re gonna play younger players. Yes, they’re gonna struggle. Yes, they’re gonna end up with mid-teens losses (this season), perhaps 13 (or) 14. But to me, this is a team that needs to find out what it has. And Kayshon Boutte, even though he was flapping his gums a little bit there, I don’t hate it because he’s not incorrect.”
To Curran’s point, the Patriots entered Sunday’s game with the NFL’s lowest-scoring and least potent offense. They had just 18 “explosive plays” — defined as a 20-plus-yard pass or a 10-plus-yard run — through five weeks, for an average of 3.6 per game. Maye nearly doubled that average on his own Sunday, registering six explosive plays (four passes and two runs) while tossing a 40-yard TD pass to Boutte that was the longest completion by a Patriots QB (in total air yards) since 2021.
New England still lost by 20 points, so there’s obviously a long way to go. But considering how low the bar was — the Patriots’ 21 points scored Sunday was a season high — it was encouraging to see Van Pelt open up the playbook and allow Maye to take some shots downfield.
A more aggressive offensive approach might lead to more turnovers, as evidenced by Maye’s two interceptions and fumble on Sunday. But at 1-5, the Patriots don’t have much to lose, and that’s a risk they should be willing to take as they try to see what they have in Maye and his young receiving corps.
Watch Quick Slants with Curran and Burton every Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.