There aren't many worse feelings for a football fan than seeing their team lose in the way that the Patriots lost to the Seahawks in their season opener on Wednesday night. A loss is already tough enough, but they made it that much worse with a second-half demise, especially from Drake Maye.
It's a loss that's going to sting for a while, maybe even longer, because this is the same team that just beat them in the Super Bowl earlier this year.
Yet at the same time, there are a few things that Patriots fans should consider to be golden nuggets in what was otherwise a pile of coal, and that should lend some optimism for what the rest of the season might look like.
3 things that mattered more than the final score in the Patriots' Week 1 loss
1. Mack Hollins stepped up when Drake Maye and the offense needed him most
Going into this matchup, the feeling about the receiving corps was that they were jam-packed with talent, and we were going to see some of the best performances from the group that we had seen in quite some time.
Considering they were being led by A.J. Brown, it wasn't an entirely unreasonable thought.
However, the connection between Drake Maye and Brown didn't come until near the middle of the second quarter, much later than anyone expected. Worse, it didn't last long: he rolled his ankle in the third quarter and didn't return.
That meant someone had to step up to the plate, and that ended up being Mack Hollins. He had moments of explosive catches during his first year with the team in 2025, especially as a deep threat, but he was never a major focus of their offensive game plan.
Given the circumstances, that changed in this game, and he led the team with four catches for 51 yards by night's end, instantly becoming a silver lining in what otherwise looked like a disastrous offensive effort for much of the game.
2. Dre'Mont Jones beats the initial criticism over his signing with an impressive Patriots' debut
After the Patriots didn't re-sign K'Lavon Chaisson in free agency, despite his best season in 2025, a major hole opened up on their defense that needed filling.
Because their pass rush was already a concern in 2025, fans hoped they would be aggressive and sign an immediate game-changer. Instead, they brought in Dre'Mont Jones, a 29-year-old defensive lineman whose best season as a pass rusher came in 2022, when he recorded 6.5 sacks.
He appeared to be far from the ideal signing, but his performance against the Seahawks might have made some believers out of the most vocal doubters.
Not only did he get the first sack of the season for the Patriots, but according to PFF, Jones had 7 pressures and 6 hurries on the night. It was a much better showing, given his history in this role and the absence of their leading pass rusher, Harold Landry, who was still dealing with an injury.
If Jones can keep this momentum going, he might look like a steal in no time.
3. The offensive line, despite the changes, looked far more solid than anyone predicted
Perhaps the most worrisome group heading into Week 1 remained the offensive line, as their postseason performance last season was not exactly good.
It led to a few lineup changes, with Alijah Vera-Tucker signing in free agency as the next starting left guard and Jared Wilson moving back to center. Will Campbell remained at left tackle, and the right side of the line stayed the same, but there were still plenty of questions about whether enough changes were made.
Luckily, the offseason work that Campbell put in with some of the league's best tackles already appears to have paid off, as the second-year lineman had a solid performance for most of the night.
Surely, he would like to have a few pre-snap penalties back, and so would the offense, but he looked much better than the last time we saw him in the Super Bowl.
Wilson also looked like a natural at center, where he played throughout college. He reclaimed that role in the NFL after the Patriots brought in Vera-Tucker and traded away Garrett Bradbury, and it already seems like the right move.
Vera-Tucker has some improvements to make, as he had some rough patches in this game, but he hadn't suited up in nearly two years before Wednesday night, so there's a bit of grace that should be given regarding his performance.
Overall, the group looked a lot better than many were expecting them to be this early in the season, and that's certainly something to celebrate, even in the loss.
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