The New England Patriots are used to showing up in NFL record books for the right reasons. On Sunday, they landed there for a far uglier one.
In a frustrating Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Vrabel’s team unraveled in the fourth quarter and made league history in the process. After looking decent through three quarters, the Patriots completely fell apart when the game tightened, and the final numbers tell the story as clearly as the scoreboard did.
The Patriots became the only NFL team in the last 30 years to throw 3+ picks, take 3+ sacks, commit 3+ penalties and score 0 points in any single quarter of any single game. They are also the first team ever to do all of that in one quarter.
That kind of collapse is hard to wrap your head around, especially for a team that entered the day looking better on paper and had a real chance to take revenge against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Drake Maye will take the biggest hit for it, and rightfully so. All three of his interceptions were poor decisions, and the final one was especially hard to defend.
If he had not forced the throw to Mack Hollins, the Patriots likely would have settled for a game-tying field goal and sent the game to overtime. Instead, Maye made a rookie mistake and closed the door on New England himself.
But the quarterback wasn’t alone in the blame.
The offensive line, which had done a respectable job for most of the afternoon, couldn’t hold up in the fourth quarter. Will Campbell bounced back well after a disastrous Super Bowl performance, but he also drew a critical holding penalty late. Then the protection cracked completely, and Seattle got to Maye three times in the final quarter after leaving him mostly untouched through the first three.
Romeo Doubs also had a night to forget. Before Maye’s last interception, the quarterback delivered a perfect throw to the former Green Bay Packer on what should have been a huge gain. Instead, Doubs dropped it in brutal fashion and finished with zero receptions on three targets.
The defense didn’t escape responsibility either. Seattle scored 10 of its 13 points in the fourth quarter, and the Patriots’ pass rush didn’t do enough down the stretch to change the game.
Zak Kuhr’s unit played solidly overall, but it still failed to produce an interception or fumble recovery. That made it the second straight matchup in which the Patriots turned the ball over three times and didn’t come away with one takeaway of their own.
For a team that wants another run at the Lombardi Trophy, this was the kind of loss that leaves plenty to fix fast. New England now turns to a Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, hoping this is the last time it makes history for all the wrong reasons this season.
In Other News...
Patriots Suddenly Have A Trade Watch Worth Following On Defense
The Patriots defensive front is already under the microscope after Week 1 exposed some soft spots in the linebacker group, and that has made the trade market worth monitoring a little earlier than usual. One name that has surfaced is Giants edge linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, whose role in New York appears to have shrunk enough to raise questions about where he fits long term.
For New England, the appeal is obvious: a player with pass-rush talent and a chance to help a defense that needs more impact at the second level. The buzz is that Thibodeaux could be had for a mid-round draft pick, which is the kind of price that can turn a speculative idea into a real conversation, even if the Giants are not ready to settle the issue just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Rookie Is Already Filling A Role New England Desperately Needed
The Patriots used a busy April draft to stock up on help, and a few of those rookies have already found ways to matter. Caleb Lomu, Gabe Jacas, Eli Raridon and Namdi Obiazor all arrived in New England with different jobs ahead of them, but early in the season the team has seen contributions across the board. Jacas got to the quarterback for his first NFL sack in Week 1, Raridon put his name in the record book by scoring the first touchdown of the NFL season, and Obiazor has started to carve out a place on special teams.
For New England, Obiazors role may wind up being the most immediately important of the group. The Patriots are leaning on him and other rookies to help replace the special teams losses from last season, and he has already shown he can handle limited snaps with three tackles. It is the kind of quiet but necessary contribution that can matter more than flashy offensive moments, especially for a team trying to rebuild depth wherever it can find it. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Keep Tweaking Roster Depth With Another Notable Shuffle
The Patriots kept adjusting the bottom of the roster Monday, bringing safety Elliott Davison back onto the practice squad after clearing space by releasing tight end Shane Zylstra. Davison had already spent time on New Englands practice squad earlier this season, and the former Saints defensive back gives the team another familiar name to lean on as it continues sorting through depth options.
Zylstras release came with an injury waiver, another reminder that the practice squad churn is rarely just about talent evaluation this time of year. New Englands current group also includes several other reserve options, and the team has kept the door open with recent workouts for a couple of players as it tries to keep the right mix available behind the active roster. [Read more 🡒]