Seattle, Wash. – The Patriots dropped their season opener in a 13-10 loss to the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle on Wednesday night.
My plan heading into the game was to write about wonky Week 1 results and how they're not a good indicator for the rest of the season. We've seen the Patriots beat the Bengals in the Jerod Mayo year, then lose to the last-place Raiders in Vrabel's coaching debut with the Patriots: one of those teams went 4-13 and the other went to the Super Bowl — Week 1 results lie, so don't fall for it. Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Mike Vrabel shared a similar sentiment, calling it the first game in a 17-game season.
"It's a long season. We're going to hold our head up high. We have nothing but the utmost confidence in (Drake Maye) and everyone on this football team," Vrabel said post-game.
That said, the way the game unfolded in Seattle makes it tougher to take the long view, especially after the Seahawks lost starting QB Sam Darnold to injury in the first quarter – this was a winnable game that the Patriots let slip through their fingers. After leading 10-0 late into the third quarter, the Patriots unraveled with three fourth-quarter interceptions by QB Drake Maye that flipped the game in Seattle's favor: it wasn't the "12s" on banner night that did them in. It was the Seahawks defense that won the night once again.
According to the Pats quarterback, Maye "lost patience," while throwing three fourth-quarter interceptions, including a game-changing pick on a deep throw intended for WR Romeo Doubs when the Patriots had control of the game. All three of Maye's interceptions were on throws over 15 air yards, with the Seahawks defense flexing its strength of defending deep passes.
"I just stopped being patient. We were really good up to the point where I forced one up the sideline to Romeo (Doubs)," said Maye. "Just stopped being patient and made decisions that cost us the game."
The other second-guess will focus on whether the Patriots could've extended their 10-0 lead with more aggressive play-calling earlier in the game. To stay balanced offensively, the Patriots ran the ball 16 times on first down, with only a 24% early-down rushing success rate. New England also ran a 3rd-and-5 draw before halftime, settling for a field goal. The game plan seemed to be to keep the Seahawks defense from taking over while grinding out a win, and it worked for three quarters.
Ultimately, the hope is that we'll look back at the Patriots season-opener this year similarly to last year's Week 1 loss to the Raiders. A wonky, early blip on the way to another deep playoff run where Maye learns an important lesson: you can't go broke taking a profit.
Here are eight takeaways from the Patriots loss to the Seahawks in Seattle in Week 1.
**1\. QB Drake Maye Laments 'Losing Patience' in Loss to the Seahawks**
Rather than editorializing about Maye's performance, the Patriots quarterback said the quiet part out loud about how the game got away from him on Wednesday night.
As a young gunslinger in the NFL, Maye wants to make big plays, which we've seen him do countless times. However, defenses like the Seahawks stress quarterbacks by making them march the field one nickel and dime at a time by preventing explosive plays. Seattle played 88.1% of Maye's 42 drop-backs in zone coverage. More specifically, 24 snaps were in split-safety zone coverage that are designed to keep a lid on the offense.
In the first three quarters, Maye and the Patriots managed the game well, with the Seahawks turning to backup QB Drew Lock after starter Sam Darnold left the game in the first quarter. The Pats QB was 17-of-22 for 127 passing yards and a touchdown in the first three quarters. Maye averaged only 5.8 yards per pass attempt, but he was efficient, keeping the ball out of harm's way by taking profits underneath Seattle's zones.
As we mentioned earlier, Maye then began to force the issue while trying to put the game away with a lead in the second half. In the fourth quarter, he was 6-of-11 for 51 yards and three interceptions. It was a classic case of a young quarterback losing the desire to play boring football, with Maye's average air yards per pass attempt skyrocketing to 8.0 yards in the fourth quarter compared to 2.4 air yards in the first three frames.