Drake Maye didn’t waste time dancing around the ugly finish in Seattle.
A day after the Patriots watched a 10-0 lead evaporate into a 13-10 loss to the Seahawks, the third-year quarterback sounded like someone determined to flush it and move on. He borrowed directly from Bill Belichick’s familiar line when he discussed the aftermath on WEEI’s “Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson.”
“We’re on to Pittsburgh,” Maye said. “We’ve got another week, another chance in this league, and that’s dealing with the ups and downs in this league. That’s part of it - playing the National Football League.”
That’s the reset button New England needs after a game that got away in the fourth quarter. The Patriots were in command midway through the third, but Maye’s late mistakes flipped the script fast.
He threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, and all three New England drives ended in turnovers that led directly to 10 Seattle points. The last one killed off a chance to either tie it with a field goal or take a shot at stealing it with a final end zone push.
It was a rough ending to a night that already had its share of frustration for the Patriots, who couldn’t fully capitalize against a Seahawks team that was without its starting QB - Sam Darnold - for most of the game. Maye did keep several plays alive with his legs and finished with a pair of fourth-down conversions on New England’s final drive, but that didn’t change the damage done by Josh Jobe’s interception of his last throw.
Maye didn’t try to dodge the bigger lesson either. For quarterbacks, the margin for error is brutal, and the only way through it is a quick reset.
“You’ve got teammates. That’s what you have teammates for, and coaches,” Maye said. “I think they’ve experienced it, and at this capacity, it’s just different when you’re playing this position at quarterback.
“Your mistakes and what you do with the football are at a more drastic level, because your decisions change the outcomes of games. So just realizing that, and also realizing that you’ve got to go back out there and have the next-play mentality.”
New England also has to absorb a blow at wide receiver. A.J.
Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the loss and is expected to miss between four and six weeks. Before the injury, Brown had already made an impact, catching three passes from Maye for 26 yards and helping the offense handle Seattle’s blitz looks.
With Brown sidelined, the Patriots will need more from Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams. Maye knows the spotlight shifts when a player like Brown goes down.
“You’d like to say that it won’t,” Maye said when asked how New England’s wideout corps would be impacted without Maye. “But a player like A.J., any time you lose a big-time player like that, it adds a different element, guys needing to step up, and guys get more looks and more chances, and the chances and opportunities that you get in this league, you’ve [got to] make the most of them.
“I think we had a lot of scenarios last year where guys stepped up and made plays. …. Usually you kind of see this later on the season, but right off the bat, we’re getting a good chance to kind of see where we’re at and seeing guys step up.”
Maye’s line in Seattle wasn’t pretty - 23-of-33, 178 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions - but he still believes the offense left enough on the table to feel better about what’s ahead. He pointed to missed chances in both the run game and passing game, and said New England had built a plan that had them ahead on the scoreboard and still in position to force overtime at worst.
“I think there [were] plays out there to be made. I think we had plays in the run game, plays in the passing game, where we had opportunities to make big plays.
And in this league, we feel last week, the way we approached it, was a good plan … We were ahead on the score, and then … [in] the fourth quarter, still had a chance to win the game and send it to overtime at the worst. I’ve got to be better, and I will be better going forward.”
Now the focus shifts to Sunday and New England’s home opener against the Steelers. For Maye and the Patriots, the assignment is simple: clean up the mistakes, fill the void left by Brown, and show that the finish in Seattle was a stumble - not a trend.
In Other News...
Patriots Suddenly Have A Trade Watch Worth Following On Defense
The Patriots defense already has a little extra scrutiny on it after Week 1 exposed some soft spots at linebacker, and now there is a trade possibility worth keeping in view. One name surfacing is Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, whose role in New York has looked smaller than expected and whose fit in New England would make sense on paper given the Patriots need for more impact help up front.
What makes the situation interesting is that Thibodeaux is not just a theoretical fit, but a player who could plausibly be had for a mid-round pick if the Giants decide his path there has changed. For the Patriots, that is the kind of cost that can turn a question mark into a real conversation, especially when a defense trying to settle itself has a chance to add talent without having to pay premium draft capital. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Fans Just Got A Painful Reminder About Isaiah Likely
Isaiah Likelys arrival in New York was the sort of move Patriots fans had circled in the spring, when the tight end hit free agency and became a name many around Foxborough hoped would eventually be in line to succeed Hunter Henry. Instead, the former Ravens draft pick landed with the Giants on a three-year, $40 million deal, giving him a fresh start and immediately putting his talent back on display.
In his debut, Likely looked every bit like the player New England had its eye on, finishing with eight catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. For the Patriots, it was a reminder of what might have been at a position where rookie Eli Raridon is still developing, and why the teams long-term answer at tight end remains a conversation worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Have A Kayshon Boutte Question They Didn't Want
Kayshon Bouttes move out of New England already has an interesting early wrinkle, and it comes at a moment when the Patriots are dealing with a hole they would rather not have. Boutte was traded to Houston before the 2026 season, and his first game in a Texans uniform was quiet, with one catch on two targets for 21 yards, but his departure still matters because the Patriots are suddenly thinner at receiver and looking for answers while A.J. Brown is expected to miss at least four games with a high ankle sprain.
Bouttes role in Houston is still being sorted out, and that makes the trade feel unfinished from New Englands perspective. The Patriots did not just lose a body at the position, they lost a player whose next step was supposed to help clarify whether he could be part of their long-term answer, and now the timing of Browns injury only sharpens the question of what the team gave up and how it plans to cover the gap. [Read more 🡒]