FOXBORO — The Drake Maye era will officially open Sunday with his first NFL start against Houston.

Related Articles

Christian Barmore ‘progressing,’ could play this season for Patriots

Callahan: How a Drake Maye-led Patriots offense could look and more Week 6 thoughts

Patriots extra points: Defensive fill-ins impressing assistant coaches

Patriots offensive and defensive starters upgrade practice participation

Patriots feel strongly about settled offensive tackle combination

But already, life feels different for the Patriots with Maye at the helm in practice, according to head coach Jerod Mayo.

“(Maye)’s done a good job. I feel like there’s a renewed sense of energy throughout the team,” Mayo said Friday morning. “And now it just comes down to Sunday, going out there and executing.”

Asked how the dynamic has changed, Mayo described a new kind of optimism for the offense.

“You can feel it, first of all, before you even see anything,” Mayo said. “The guys are locked in and ready to go. Those guys are running back to the huddle and ready for the next rep, so it’s encouraging.”

Maye  replaced Jacoby Brissett as the team’s top quarterback after a 1-4 start that left the Patriots ranking dead last with 119 passing yards per game. Mayo broke the news to both quarterbacks over the phone on Monday night, before news broke Tuesday afternoon. Since then, the Patriots have held a padded practice on Wednesday and another session Thursday. Friday’s walkthrough will all but conclude their preparation for the Texans.

“Good week of practice,” Mayo said. “Thought Drake went out there and performed well overall. We’ll have to wait and see if it happens in the game.”