Kickoff: The Patriots host the Houston Texans today in the second of three home games in the month of October. The story today of course is Drake Maye making his first NFL start. It is not exactly the ideal spot for him considering how good the Texans defense has been against rookie quarterbacks, but now is the time nonetheless. Maye was going to play eventually. His timeline has been accelerated. Let’s see how he does today.

Here are four keys to the game.

1st Down: Keep the game simple for the kid: Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt needs to keep the game simple for Maye. Today is all about getting the ball out of his hands quick. Quick three step, quick five step and loving the pocket for him are all on the menu. If the Patriots can slow the game down for Maye and slow down the Houston pass rush, they will have a shot to win this game.

2nd Down: Pound away: The Patriots are going to need to establish the running game early to set up their passing game. It will not be easy with Rhamondre Stevenson out, but Antonio Gibson has started before and he has had to carry the workload before. Between Gibson and JaMychal Hasty, the Patriots have enough talent at running back to run the football and balance out the passing game.

3rd Down: Get consistent pressure on Stroud: The Patriots must find ways to throw Texans quarterback C.J Stroud off his spot. New England cannot allow him to hang in the pocket and work through his progression. They need to get him on the run and harass him all afternoon. Look for more coverage disguises and more simulated pressure early as the Patriots try to cloud Stroud’s reads.

4th Down: Win all three phases: The Patriots will need all three phases to contribute today if they want to win this football game. The offense will need to score points, the defense will need to generate turnovers and special teams will need to tilt field position and give the offense good field position. It is a big ask to play nearly flawless football but that is what it is going to take if the Patriots want to win today.

Extra point: The Patriots are 7-0 all-time at home against Houston with a 5-0 regular season record and 2-0 postseason record.

The Patriots lead the overall series with an 11-3 advantage, including a 9-3 regular season record and a 2-0 mark in the postseason.

This week’s game will be the first game played at Gillette Stadium since the Patriots opened the 2018 season with a 27-20 victory over the Texans on Sept. 9, 2018.

Final Drive: A win today could change the trajectory of this season but it will be a tall task against arguably one of the two best teams in the AFC. New England will need to execute flawlessly and they will need to get some breaks. I don’t see it happening. I just want Maye to play well and for them to compete and come out of it healthy. The Patriots are simply not good enough right now from a talent standpoint to win games like this.