For much of Wednesday night’s season opener, the New England Patriots appeared content to play physical, conservative football. Then the game changed, and so did New England.
After Seattle tied the score, the Patriots moved away from the run-first approach that had kept them out of obvious passing situations. New England began pushing the ball downfield, exposing Drake Maye to Seattle’s pass rush and ultimately putting the game in its young quarterback’s hands.
The result was a 13–10 Seahawks victory and an ugly start to Maye’s 2026 season. The Patriots quarterback threw three interceptions, including an unforced mistake late in the fourth quarter when New England needed only a field goal to tie the game.
For a quarterback coming off a breakout season, it was a rough opening night. More importantly, the way New England lost revealed how quickly its offensive formula broke down once Seattle forced the Patriots away from the style of football that had worked early.
The Patriots Offense Initially Kept Seattle Guessing
New England’s early offensive approach wasn’t spectacular, but there was some interesting design behind it. The Patriots frequently operated from shotgun with two running backs, creating a formation that looked more like something from a 1990s CFL playbook than a modern NFL offense. There was logic behind it.
Two backs leave the defensive run fits less clearly defined before the snap, while both backs can become check-release options in the passing game. That can also complicate blitz decisions because the defense doesn’t immediately know where either back will insert in protection or whether both will release.
New England also worked to disguise Maye’s launch point. On one first-quarter play, the Patriots showed fake boot action before Maye checked the ball down to a running back.
None of it produced much excitement. Seattle led just 7–0 at halftime, leaving Cris Collinsworth enough dead air to start making The Sopranos references from the broadcast booth. The show has been off the air since 2007, which tells you roughly how much offense we were watching.
But New England was physical, generally stayed out of third-and-long and avoided exposing Maye to obvious passing situations. For a while, boring football was working.
Seattle Forced New England Out of Its Comfort Zone
The game began changing after Seattle tied things up. New England increasingly abandoned the run-first approach and asked Maye to push the football downfield. That also gave Seattle’s pass rush more opportunities to attack a quarterback operating in predictable passing situations.
The Patriots eventually found themselves facing third-and-14 in the fourth quarter and went back to the same split-back shotgun look they had used earlier. This time, Maye threw an interception. That’s the problem with formations designed to create ambiguity: they become considerably less threatening when the down and distance removes much of the ambiguity.
Third-and-14 isn’t fooling anybody.
Seattle knew New England needed to throw, and the Patriots were no longer dictating the terms of the game.
Drew Lock Made the Throws New England Needed
Seattle faced its own adversity almost immediately. Sam Darnold was injured on just the fifth play of the game, at the end of Seattle’s opening drive. The injury noticeably deflated the home crowd and forced Drew Lock into the game much earlier than anyone anticipated.
Yet Lock eventually produced two of the night’s best throws. Facing third-and-22, he threaded a dig route for a conversion. Later, he connected with Cooper Kupp on a deep corner in the third quarter. Both were difficult throws into intermediate and deep windows.
That mattered in a game where explosive offensive plays were difficult to find. Seattle lost its starting quarterback almost immediately, but its backup wasn’t the reason the offense struggled. When Seattle desperately needed someone to make a difficult throw, Lock made a couple.
Drake Maye’s Final Interception Was the Worst One
Maye’s first two interceptions could be dissected through protection, coverage, and game situation. The third one was much harder to excuse.
New England was still within field-goal range of tying the game when Maye threw his final interception, and there was no desperate fourth-down situation forcing him to manufacture a play. The Patriots didn’t need a touchdown. They needed three points.
That makes the mistake considerably more concerning than the final stat line alone. Maye’s interception was unforced and effectively ended New England’s opportunity to escape Seattle with a win. Situationally, protecting the football was far more important than creating an explosive play.
For a young quarterback expected to take another step forward in 2026, that’s a decision Maye has to make. New England spent much of the night playing conservative football designed to keep its quarterback out of difficult situations, but once Seattle tied the game, the Patriots moved away from that formula and increasingly put the game in Maye’s hands.
He wasn’t ready for it Wednesday night.
Three interceptions are an ugly way to begin a season, but the final one will haunt the Foxboro faithful for a while. The Patriots had an opportunity to survive an uneven offensive performance, kick a field goal and potentially extend the game.
Instead, Maye made the one mistake New England couldn’t afford.
Next: Aaron Donald Returns as the Rams Make a Surprising, Yet Not Really, Move
