FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Drake Maye received words of encouragement from another high draft pick on Sunday after the New England Patriots lost to the Texans in the rookie’s first career start.

A year ago, Houston’s CJ Stroud stepped into Maye’s shoes – a first-year quarterback who was put in charge of the franchise after being selected early in the draft. Stroud was No. 2 overall and Maye was third.

Stroud lost his first two starts before leading the Texans to the playoffs. Given the dismal state of Maye’s team, it’s unlikely the Patriots (1-5) will go on a similar run.

Still, Maye’s appearance is in the Patriots’ 41-21 loss to the Texans provided a boost of energy. He finished 22 of 30 for 243 yards with an 88.3 passer rating. With three touchdown passes, the 22-year-old surpassed the five-game total of Jacoby Brissett, whose ineffectiveness led Patriots coach Jerod Mayo to switch to the rookie.

“At the beginning I was definitely a bit overwhelmed. The guys around me did a great job of trying to calm me down and Jacoby was a big part of that,” Maye said.

Maye took his first snap as an NFL starting QB at 9:08 of the first quarter. His image, which appeared on the video board at Gillette Stadium, drew a huge ovation from the crowd.

“It gave me goosebumps the first time I went out there,” Maye said. “I’m in a great situation here with the Patriots and playing quarterback in the NFL.”

His debut was a mix of positive and educational moments. He overthrew DeMario Douglas for an interception in the first quarter, but connected with Douglas for a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“I like how he grew in confidence as the game went on and I thought it was a good first game for him,” Douglas said.

Patriots fans are hoping Maye can become the franchise’s long-awaited solution in the post-Tom Brady era, and they found reason to be encouraged late in the first half. Maye looked down and unleashed a perfect throw that fell into the arms of Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard touchdown that put New England up 14-7.

“His competitiveness was great,” said tight end Hunter Henry, who caught a TD pass from Maye in the third quarter.

Maye also rushed for a team-best 38 yards, as his ability to run and keep plays alive was an element to a New England offense that was coming off a season-opening win at Cincinnati and overtime at Seattle in the week 2 declined. He also learned that it’s important to take care of the ball – one of Houston’s four sacks resulted in a fumble that gave the Texans the ball at the Patriots’ 10-yard line.

“I think I took a few sacks where I could have thrown them away or thrown check downs instead of getting a sack,” Maye said. “We kept getting injured and in this league these teams are too good for that. But some great stuff to see in the film.”

Stroud was asked about the encouraging words he gave Maye when the two young quarterbacks crossed paths after the final whistle.

“Just be yourself, you know. Everything that got you here will get you where you want to go and really trust yourself. Trust that you will figure it out eventually. You will have bad days. You will have beautiful days. There are days when you think to yourself, ‘Man, I’m the worst quarterback in the world,’ but it’s always about getting up the next day and moving on,” Stroud said. “I thought he played really solid. I definitely feel like he’s getting better as time goes on.”

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