The Patriots were expected to be at the top of their class Week One. Sam Darnold lasted all of five plays before succumbing to a geriatric-like injury to his hip, and New England still managed to drop the ball…literally. Seattle lost Sammy Dimes in the opening drive. Drew Lock is 29 years old, the same age as Sam Darnold. Drake Maye is 24. He had youth on his side. He had a redemption on his side. The Patriots still lost, even with the geriatric drama in the opening drive.
OPENING DRIVE.
Drew Lock stepped in and the Patriots sighed with relief. No more Sammy, they had a chance to redeem themselves from the Super Bowl loss of yonder past. New England was handed an advantage that no team usually sees in Week one. A back to school assignment with little homework. Take advantage. Win the game.
They didn’t.
New England had a ten point lead with complete control over Seattle offense until everything came crashing down. The Seahawks scored 13 unanswered points and Drake Maye threw three fourth quarter interceptions to end in a 13-10 loss.
How embarrassing. Drake Maye showed up for class, but his fourth-quarter judgment had an unexcused absence.
Last year Drake Maye never threw multiple interceptions…all year…until the Super Bowl against Seattle. During the 2025 regular season, Maye threw just eight interceptions in 17 games while completing 72% of his passes. With the game hanging by a thread, Maye threw off his back foot toward Mack Hollins and asked the football gods for a favor. They declined. It was like watching an old school game of 500.
Throw the ball and hope for the best.
This wasn’t the same Drake Maye that led the team to and through last year’s Super Bowl. Something was off. Maye usually plays in rhythm and protects the football. It’s what he does no matter the pressure he finds himself under. He completed 72% of his passes, threw 31 touchdowns against only eight interceptions, and finished with a 113.5 passer rating in the 2025 season. Tonight looked more like the worst parts of the Super Bowl and less like the entire academic season.
His mechanics deteriorated late. He used to be sure and steady. The Drake Maye of 2026 was more of a risk-taker with that back-foot throw to Mack Hollins as a prime example of something new. But new isn’t always better. Sometimes it just means different. But losing to Seattle was hauntingly the same.
This loss can’t be completely on Maye. New England’s offense was already limited before those interceptions. They were missing TreVeyon Henderson. Someone who sat out most of the preseason, and who many expected to play, was blatantly absent for the Week One game. There is no “I” in team. There isn’t one in TreVeyon, either.
Losing A.J. Brown early in the game wasn’t ideal. Fortunately, there isn’t an “I” in A.J. Brown to begin with.
The Patriots were up by ten against a back up quarterback. Maye contributed to the collapse but New England shouldn’t have needed its quarterback to play pristinely perfectly just to protect a two score lead against Drew Lock.
Expectations have changed since recent years. This roster was built to win. New England added talent. Maye entered the season with MVP-level expectations. The Patriots were coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and Wednesday’s opener gave them an immediate opportunity to show that last season wasn’t a fluke.
There’s still sixteen games left.
the Patriots’ season isn’t dead yet. It just needs a little oxygen. But there is some concern in brushing this off as a Week 1 one-off. Good teams take advantage when the starting quarterback leaves the game. They protect double digit leads. Good teams finish what they started.
The Patriots lost their excuse.
That’s what makes the New England loss so frustrating. Lock didn’t enter the game as a hero or any sort of unstoppable machine. He attempted just three passes for the Seahawks during the entire 2025 season before being called up Wednesday night. New England’s offense stalled when it mattered most.
Maye’s interceptions gave Seattle the participation ribbon, second place trophy, and championship title all at once. The Patriots should have given Lock a juice box and sent him back out to recess. Instead they also handed him a bow, gift wrapped for free.
What’s next for the Patriots? What do they do now? Is there hope in the future or participation ribbons and glue paste? The Patriots have eleven days to think about this. They have eleven days to get their stuff together and fix their flaws. Upcoming in the lineup are teams like Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, and Buffalo.
This doesn’t earn New England time to lick glue sticks and nap on plastic mats. They need to focus on getting healthier, protecting Maye better, and stop turning manageable plays into poorly performed school nurse visits. One ugly loss doesn’t prevent a Super Bowl appearance. But it does expose the weakness in an otherwise encouraging report card.
It’s only Week One.
There’s still time to get their grade up.
But the Patriots need to sharpen their pencils, quit sniffing the glue, and figure out the assignment before this season turns into a parent teacher conference where everyone knows why they’re there, but can’t do anything to make the year better.
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