The New England Patriots walked into Week 1 with a 10-0 lead in hand and still found a way to leave with a loss, and that was more than enough to set off Barstool Sports founder and longtime Patriots fan Dave Portnoy.
Seattle spent much of the afternoon trying to keep itself afloat after quarterback Sam Darnold exited for good on the opening drive with a hip injury. Even so, the Seahawks stayed in the fight behind their defense, a few field goals and a big play from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, then finished the job by erasing the 10-point deficit and pulling out the win.
Portnoy wasted no time unloading on the Patriots after the final whistle on X.
“Only the first game of the season but that was tough to watch,” Portnoy said. “Horrible game from Drake (Maye), that last throw… disgusting.
We lose A.J. Brown with what I guess is gonna be a pretty severe injury.
The other guy, new guy, (Romeo) Doubs, just a disgusting drop.
“Play-calling sucked most of the night I thought on offense. The game was right there for the taking obviously.
It’s only Week 1 but that was a s***** way to start the season. Gotta be a lot better than that.
That was F-minus s***.”
Drake Maye had a chance to salvage something at the end, either by winning it or at least forcing overtime in the final minute. Instead, he threw a costly pass into the end zone that was intercepted, ending New England’s hopes right there.
In all, Maye was picked off three times, giving him five interceptions over his last two games against the Seahawks.
A.J. Brown’s debut in a Patriots uniform was rough from start to finish. He caught just three passes for 26 yards before leaving in the third quarter with an ankle injury.
Portnoy said it might be a severe injury for Brown, but nothing has been confirmed, so that situation is still unresolved.
The Patriots now turn to Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, though there is at least a chance they will have to get there without their No. 1 wide receiver.
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