New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) at the line during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
What an awful way to start your season. The New England Patriots had the world, or at least their Week 1 game against the Seattle Seahawks, in their hands. They were gifted the perfect scenario: their opponent's star quarterback went down with an injury, and his backup was unable to move the ball down the field. This was the perfect time for the Patriots to fire back against the criticisms around their 2025 season.
Instead, their Week 1 performance only served to validate the doubt around their success last year. The Patriots' 13-10 loss was brutal in more ways than one. And, unfortunately for them, this loss can be blamed on two players in particular.
Drake Maye's no-good, very bad day
Despite coming in second in MVP voting last season, there was a lot of concern about Drake Maye coming into his third year in the league. The biggest criticism around Maye's performance was the quality of his opponents. The Patriots played a last-place schedule in 2025, which many argue helped Maye pad his stats against weaker competition.
Unfortunately, this performance in Week 1 won't help Maye's case. Maye struggled against the Seahawks' pass-rush in the Super Bowl due to his collapsing offensive line. This time, the Patriots' offensive line held strong for the most part. What doomed the Pats, though, was Maye's questionable decision-making and throwing capabilities down the stretch.
Maye threw an interception in the Patriots' final three drives of the game. The first interception was a pass forced into double-coverage in the red zone, which was tipped by Nehemiah Pritchett. New England's defense allowed a touchdown on that drive, tying up the game.
On the next drive, facing a 3rd-and-14 in their own territory, Maye threw a floating ball down the middle to a Patriots receiver. While the decision was questionable, a better ball might have found the receiver's arms. Instead, Julian Love swooped in from the opposite side of the field to pick it off.
The Patriots still had a chance to win after the Seahawks only mustered up a field goal to go up by three. However, Maye threw away any chance of winning after floating up a pass to nowhere with just 30 seconds left in the game. Josh Jobe made the athletic pick, but Maye's decision to force it to a covered receiver when they were in field goal range was unacceptable.
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This game is solely on Maye's shoulders. And yet, the Patriots could have been bailed out of this game, if not for a costly mistake from one of their offseason acquisitions.
Romeo Doubs' awful Patriots debut
The Patriots brought in Romeo Doubs from the Packers to be a reliable #2 option behind AJ Brown. While he was inconsistent in Green Bay, New England liked the flashes they saw from the wide receiver. They hoped that by playing behind Brown, Doubs would play a much better game.
However, Doubs was thrust into the WR1 role during the game after Brown went down with an injury. The Patriots wide receiver struggled to get open against the Seahawks' tight defense. When he did get open, though, Doubs fumbled it in the worst way possible.
Prior to Maye's second pick, the Patriots were handed a prime opportunity to drive the dagger through the Seahawks. Maye rolled right and found a streaking Doubs without a receiver in his vicinity. The pass was excellent. The catch was terrible: Doubs did not secure the ball before running, dropping what would have been an easy first down and then some.
It's a brutal game from Doubs, who didn't record a single catch while being targeted three times.