The Patriots opened their season with the kind of mess that gives a rival fan base something to chuckle about.
New England went on the road Wednesday night and lost to the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of last year’s big game, but the real conversation centered on quarterback Drake Maye. Dolphins fans had plenty to enjoy, because Maye turned in a rough debut that featured three interceptions, including one on 3rd down with the Patriots deep in Seattle territory and down by three.
The numbers tell the story: Maye finished 23 of 33 for 178 yards, a touchdown, and three picks. He also didn’t get much help from his receivers.
Romeo Doubs had a critical drop, and A.J. Brown left early with an ankle injury.
Even with that, the fourth quarter was where it unraveled. Trailing by three, Maye threw interceptions on three straight drives, and the last one ended the game with a pick in the end zone.
Seattle, for its part, had to navigate its own quarterback chaos. Sam Darnold took five snaps, suffered a hip injury, and never came back. Drew Lock stepped in and completed 15 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown.
The game never threatened to turn into a shootout. It was a defensive, low-scoring night, and the Patriots looked disjointed from start to finish.
That kind of opening isn’t exactly shocking in the modern NFL, where preseason habits have changed and most starters sit out every exhibition game. Still, sloppy is sloppy.
And for New England, the bigger issue is the same one hanging over the season from the start: can they beat good football teams? Last year they rolled through a last-place schedule, and now they’re entering 2026 against the top teams from last season.
The AFC East is still expected to come down to the Patriots and the Bills, and Buffalo already has an early chance to gain ground with a Sunday trip to Houston. In a strange twist, every AFC East team starts the year on the road. The Dolphins head to Las Vegas, and the Jets travel to Tennessee.
In Other News...
Dolphins Draw A 49ers Team Caught In An NFL Scheduling Fight
The 49ers trip to Australia has already spilled into the scheduling debate, and it leaves Miami with an interesting Week 2 assignment. San Francisco asked the NFL to push its game against the Dolphins to Monday night so it could get a little extra recovery time after the long haul overseas, but the league turned down the request.
Instead, the Rams got the Monday night slot and the added breathing room, while the 49ers head into their matchup with Miami on Sunday. For the Dolphins, it means facing a team coming off an unusual travel week and then watching San Francisco settle into a stretch of three straight home games after returning from Australia. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Rookie Is Putting Early Pressure On A Bold Linebacker Bet
The Dolphins made a noticeable investment in linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, spending a premium second-round pick on him even with other starters already in the room. Since then, Rodriguez has started to justify the decision with the kind of traits teams crave from a modern linebacker, especially his feel for the ball and his work in coverage.
Miamis release of Tyrel Dodson only sharpened the spotlight on the rookie and suggested the club is comfortable moving forward with Rodriguez in a bigger role. Evaluators around the league see a player whose transition to the NFL could come quickly, and the next step is proving he can turn those early flashes into reliable production alongside the rest of the Dolphins front seven. [Read more 🡒]
Tua Tagovailoa Just Put Miami Fans On Edge Again
Tua Tagovailoa gave Miami another uneasy sight on Thursday when he briefly went to the ground during throwing drills because of what appeared to be a back injury. He did not take part in the team portions of practice afterward, and Cooper Rush handled all of the first-team reps in his absence.
It was a jolt for a Dolphins team already trying to get its quarterback through camp in one piece after Tagovailoa missed the first week with back spasms. With Week 1 looming, his status as the starter is suddenly far less certain than anyone around the team would like this time of year. [Read more 🡒]