To say anyone expected the Patriots to lose their season opener the way that they did would be a lie. Although many predicted the reigning Super Bowl champions would get the win, most anticipated it would be a relatively close game, not something due to the bad decisions made by Drake Maye.
On top of that, the Patriots looked like a completely different team in the second half, despite being up 10 points and looking like they could easily walk out of Seattle with a hard-fought win.
Instead, they'll have to look closely at what went wrong in this game and make sure they never repeat this kind of performance.
10 immediate reactions to the Patriots frustrating loss to the Seahawks
1. Never in a million years would any Patriots fan imagine that Drake Maye would be the main reason for the team to lose. Although he's far from perfect, he repeated the same careless mistakes we saw last season, but this time they were far worse.
With the game on the line and a chance to win, Maye threw 3 interceptions on consecutive drives when the game was within reach. That's not something we've ever seen from him, nor do we ever want to see it again.
2. Romeo Doubs' New England debut was not exactly what anyone hoped for. He had a mostly quiet offseason since joining the team, and while it was expected that he would take a backseat to A.J. Brown, he was not targeted until the fourth quarter, and it ended up being an interception.
3. Will Campbell looked solid for the first half, which was a pleasant sight considering how he ended his rookie season. Much of that was forgotten once he racked up two late penalties, which he'll need to avoid for the rest of the season.
4. Josh McDaniels was up to his old tricks again, focusing on first-down runs, and that was a problem throughout the night. The run game couldn't get established no matter who had the ball, and making this the first play on every new first down became too predictable for a tough defense like Seattle's.
5. The injury to A.J. Brown couldn't be more brutal. Not only could he miss a few games with a possible ankle sprain, but the Patriots also don't have another receiver to step up in his place. They would have had Kayshon Boutte, but they traded him instead, which is already looking like a bad decision.
6. Rookie Gabe Jacas had an impressive debut, especially after he didn't play all that great in the preseason. He recorded his first sack and a big tackle for a loss, showing the kind of explosiveness that explains why the Patriots drafted him.
7. Mack Hollins was a savior down the stretch for the offense, with Brown out with an injury and Doubs dropping passes left and right. He could take on a bigger role moving forward, particularly if Brown remains sidelined.
8. Did anyone legitimately predict that rookie tight end Eli Raridon would get the first touchdown of the season?
9. TreVeyon Henderson was missed, even if the run game wasn't very successful. There appears to be a clear difference when Corey Kiner was on the field that may have looked different if Henderson were suited up.
10. Why was Christian Gonzalez not shadowing Jaxon Smith-Njigba all night? We saw him shut him down in the Super Bowl, yet the defensive coaching staff kept them separated for most of the night, and they paid for it.
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