Patriots quarterback Drake Maye played just two series in the team's 48-18 preseason-opening win over the the Washington Commanders on Friday night. Much like his rookie season, there was some good and some bad from the second-year quarterback.

Maye was working with a 7-0 lead when he got his hands on the football, thanks to rookie TreVeyon Henderson returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. On New England's first offensive drive, Maye completed a pair of short passes to Henderson before things went a little haywire for the quarterback.

Drake Maye's fumble

With the Patriots facing a third-and-7 at their own 45-yard line, Maye dropped back looking to move the chains. But he felt some heavy pressure from Washington's Jer'Zhan Newton, and couldn't escape the heat.

Maye tried to throw the ball under duress, but it ended up slipping out of his hand for a fumble. The Commanders recovered at the New England 30-yard line.

"Disappointing," Maye said of his fumble. "We had a drive going, and I can't do that my first time out. I'm glad we responded well the next drive. You can't put the defense in that position when the games matter. I told the guys that was on me; glad we could get back out there and get another series going.'

"That is a bad decision," head coach Mike Vrabel said of Maye's fumble. "We're going to need better from him and I think he knows that. It's obvious. It wasn't there and we have to find away to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt. To the defense's credit, they forced a field goal that was missed.'

The Patriots' defense didn't give up a yard and Washington missed a 49-yard field goal to keep it a 7-0 game. At least Maye's miscue didn't come back to hurt the Patriots on Friday night, and he made up for it the second and final time he got the football.

Drake Maye rushes for 5-yard touchdown

Maye got some redemption for the fumble during his second and final series of the night. He helped take the offense 61 yards downfield on eight plays, and capped off the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to give the Patriots a 14-0 lead.

Maye scanned his checks before he saw a massive hole in the defense, and took full advantage with his mobility.

Maye also scrambled for 11 yards on a second-and-10 earlier in the drive. But he completed just one of his three passes, as he hit Henderson for nine yards on a second-and-7 pass and threw incomplete attempts to Mack Hollins and Austin Hooper.

In all, Maye went 3-for-5 for 12 yards, with a pair of rushes for 16 yards and a touchdown. He struggled to get anything going through the air in the preseason opener, and will look to bounce back next weekend when the Patriots visit the Minnesota Vikings for preseason game No. 2.

While he wasn't happy with his own play, Maye was pumped with what the team showed on the field -- and on the sideline -- Friday night.

"We'll continue to work at it every day, every week. Keep learning from it. These guys want to get better and there's a lot of football talk around the locker rom. That's what you like to see," he said. 

"We want to win, and that starts with the head coach and his intensity," added Maye. "You see guys talking trash until the whistle and that's what you want. It's easy for me to get excited playing with those guys next to me."