FOXBORO — According to Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, limiting Drake Maye to a single possession in the team’s preseason opener was part of the plan all along.

So, too, was playing Maye during the second and third quarters of Thursday night’s loss to the Eagles. In that time, Maye took 24 snaps over four drives, including two that led to scores. He finished 6-of-11 for 47 yards, plus four rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown.

So what did the rookie think of his performance?

“I think there are definitely things I can clean up,” Maye said. “I had some good things, had some bad plays; dropped snaps, inexcusable from me. Other than that, sometimes I felt I was scrambling when I could sit in there, hang on, and try to make a throw. So, there are definitely a lot of things to learn from. It was good to get out there and get some tape to learn from.

“Other than that, the guys fought, played hard. You can look at a lot of things, but the one thing you can’t question is our effort and that really starts it all.”

Maye’s four-yard touchdown run late in the first half was his undisputed highlight of the night. He went untouched on a zone-read play that sucked the entire Eagles defense inside, allowing Maye to coast across the right side of the goal line for the game’s first touchdown. On that play, five of the Patriots’ six offensive draft picks were on the field, including receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, offensive linemen Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson and seventh-round tight end Jaheim Bell.

Maye took notice.

“It was an awesome moment,” he said.” We spent a lot of time here. In the rookie meetings in the spring, it was just us. It was definitely cool having those guys out there. I think the first thing I did was chest bump JP (Ja’Lynn Polk). So it was cool to get there with guys in the same spot, going through the same things. It was a fun time for us, and a moment I’ll never forget.”

In the second half, both of Maye’s drives resulted in punts. The Patriots went three-and-out on their initial possession, thanks to a Baker drop deep downfield that ruined what could have been a 48-yard gain. Later, Baker drew a defensive pass interference penalty on a third down, before Maye took a sack on his final snap of the game that killed a six-play drive.

That allowed sixth-round rookie quarterback Joe Milton III to take the reins late in the third quarter and later hand them to Bailey Zappe in an eventual loss.

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As for Maye, his performance was not defined by the result or his stats, but a calm and control he seemed to exude after a subdued preseason opener last week and up-and-down training camp so far.

“My job as a quarterback is not to get rattled: to stay cool, calm, and collected, especially on the sideline,” Maye said. “I tend to throw my helmet or something. Moping like that can go a long way with your guys and how they are feeling and setting the tone. I try to stay cool and calm, but I probably need to get more excited when good things happen.

“My parents always get on me saying I need to get excited when good things happen. At the same time, you can’t just ride the highs and can’t get too low.”

Maye and the Patriots’ other players will be off Friday, before returning to the practice fields on Saturday.