The NFL season is only just getting going, but the first week already handed out a strange little piece of history - and it wasn’t the kind either quarterback wanted attached to his name.
For the first time in NFL history, the top two finishers in the previous season’s MVP voting each had their team score 10 or fewer points in the season opener. That’s the unwanted company Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford found themselves in after rough starts to 2026.
Maye, who finished runner-up in MVP voting and also reached the Super Bowl, had a night to forget in New England’s 13-10 loss to the defending champion Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday in a rematch of Super Bowl 60. The Patriots quarterback kept running into the same problem that has followed him since last season’s playoffs: turnovers.
He threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter alone, and the last one was the killer. With 26 seconds left, Maye was picked off in the end zone on New England’s final drive, wiping out the chance to set up a field goal and force a tie. Instead, the Patriots’ comeback bid ended right there.
Maye completed the game with 179 passing yards and one touchdown, but the offense never found much rhythm. New England’s 10 points were its fewest in a game since Week 5 of the 2024 season.
Stafford had his own frustrating opener later on, leading the Los Angeles Rams against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia as he began his 17th NFL season. The reigning MVP didn’t turn the ball over as often as Maye, but the production just wasn’t there.
Stafford threw one interception and finished with 155 passing yards, his lowest total since Week 11 against the Seahawks in 2025.
Neither quarterback completely cratered, but both fell well short of the standard set by the two players who finished at the top of last season’s MVP race. There’s still plenty of season left, though, and both will get a shot to shake this off quickly. The Patriots face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, while the Rams return home to host the New York Giants.
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Rams Could Be Dealing With More Fallout Than Just This Loss
The Rams left Australia with more than a lopsided loss, and Tyler Davis roughing-the-passer penalty is now part of the conversation too. On a night when San Francisco handled Los Angeles 27-7 in the NFLs first game played in Australia, the call on Davis stood out for the way it came after helmet-to-helmet contact with Brock Purdy and added another jolt to an already frustrating trip.
What happens next could matter just as much as the final score, because the NFL is reviewing the play for possible additional discipline and fines. For a Rams team that already has plenty to sort through after getting pushed around by a division rival on a global stage, the concern now is whether one snap turns into a bigger setback once the league finishes its review. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Fans Are Crushing Sean McVay Over One Goal Line Call
The Rams had a golden chance at the 1-yard line in a fourth-and-goal spot, only to come away empty when Matthew Stafford was sent on a quarterback sneak that did not get into the end zone. Sean McVay later acknowledged the missed chance was a turning point in the game, and Stafford confirmed the sneak was the called play, which only sharpened the scrutiny around the decision.
For a coach who usually earns trust with his sequencing and situational feel, this was the sort of call that fans circle immediately, especially given Staffords long track record as a passer rather than a runner. The debate now is less about the failed snap of a play than about why the Rams chose that look in such a high-leverage moment, and whether it was the kind of gamble that cost them when they could least afford it. [Read more 🡒]
Fred Warner Just Added To Rams Frustration After Australia Loss
The Rams trip to Australia already had the feel of a scheduling test, and the aftermath has only sharpened the conversation around how they handled it. Los Angeles landed just over 24 hours before kickoff, a much tighter window than the 49ers, who were in place a week early, and the difference showed in a game where the Rams never found much rhythm on offense.
Fred Warner added a little more sting to the discussion afterward by pointing to that abbreviated arrival as a possible factor in the Rams struggles. Matthew Stafford had his worst passer rating as a starter, while San Francisco got the steadier side of the matchup it wanted behind Brock Purdy and a productive run game, leaving the Rams to sort through both the loss and the questions that came with the travel. [Read more 🡒]