The Patriots had some bright spots in their 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seahawks, but the biggest takeaway came from the same place that has haunted young quarterbacks before: the fourth quarter.
Drake Maye had the Patriots moving early and efficiently Wednesday night, helping them build a 10-0 lead with his legs and a short-passing approach. He finished 17-of-22 for 127 yards and a touchdown, averaging just 2.4 air yards per pass.
Then the game tilted. Maye said afterward that his performance was “Unacceptable.” and his late-game aggression turned costly as he threw three fourth-quarter interceptions while trying to chase bigger plays.
His average air yards per attempt jumped to 8.0 in the final period, and Seattle’s defense - which played nearly 90 percent zone - kept the explosives in check.
One of the Patriots’ new weapons had a rough debut beside him. Romeo Doubs did not catch any of his three targets, and his night included a bad drop downfield before Maye’s next throw was picked off.
Doubs was also the target on Maye’s first interception. Afterward, he owned it plainly: “I just wasn’t locked in enough.
That’s all,” Doubs said post game. “Like I said, I’ll be better.”
The offensive line had its moments, but it wasn’t spotless. New left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker gave up a team-high four pressures and was part of the protection breakdown on one of the sacks, failing to sort out a stunt off the left side.
Maye was under pressure on 12 of his 42 drop backs, and the Patriots were still sacked three times. Vera-Tucker, who missed all of last season, may just need time to shake off the rust.
Still, the Patriots did get meaningful production from a few other places. Rhamondre Stevenson handled 85% of the snaps and piled up 95 scrimmage yards on 23 touches, even if the ground game as a whole never got rolling. New England’s run offense posted a 22% success rate, and Stevenson’s 51 rushing yards came with 50 of them after contact.
The passing game also produced a couple of notable firsts. Eli Raridon caught his first career touchdown on his first career catch on a play-action delayed release.
Up front, Dre’Mont Jones gave New England an immediate edge presence. The free-agent addition ended Seattle’s opening drive with a third-down sack and added six more pressures the rest of the night.
He also showed up against the run. On the outside, rookie Gabe Jacas bounced back from a shaky preseason with his first career sack and a tackle for loss on a hustle play.
Christian Gonzalez looked every bit like a corner who had just signed a record-breaking extension about 48 hours earlier. He gave up only two catches on five targets, including just one reception for five yards, and broke up a pass while covering Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 16 routes. Carlton Davis was just as sticky, allowing no catches on two targets while adding two run stuffs.
There were a few clean details worth noting as well. Will Campbell had a clean sheet in pass protection, though he was called for holding in the run game and was on the left side for the stunt that led to one of the sacks. Christian Barmore posted three pressures on 18 pass-rush snaps.
Special teams gave the Patriots some useful work too. Andy Borregales hit a 50-yard field goal and his lone extra point, while Mitch Wishnowsky made a strong debut with three punts inside the 20 and helped hold Rashid Shaheed to one return for nine yards. New England’s coverage units held up around him, including rookie Namdi Obiazor, who had three special teams tackles.
The run defense, though, was still inconsistent. Rookie Jadarian Price found room outside the tackles at times, with some of the same issues that have shown up before.
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