Even for Week 1, that was ugly.
No matter how you slice it, the New England Patriots botched a golden opportunity in Wednesday's 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots led by 10 points in the second half but couldn’t close it out as quarterback Drake Maye threw three brutal interceptions, the final one a desperation heave off his back foot to the end zone with 26 seconds remaining and the Patriots in field goal range.
New England’s new-look offense clearly wasn’t firing on all cylinders after not playing a snap in the preseason. The Patriots also lost wide receiver A.J. Brown to an apparant ankle injury in the third quarter.
But there are no excuses after this one. Seattle came in banged up on defense and had to turn to backup quarterback Drew Lock after the first series following an injury to Sam Darnold.
This loss was tough to swallow. The Patriots blew a chance to steal one from the defending Super Bowl champs on the road with 11 days off before next week’s home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here are the Patriots’ winners and losers from Week 1, starting with the quarterback.
Loser No. 1
Drake Maye - QB
Maye did a masterful job in the first half of evading sacks and negative plays, but the wheels fell off after he forced one deep to Romeo Doubs that was intercepted on the second play of the fourth quarter.
Maye then threw interceptions on the Patriots’ final two drives of the game on two of the worst decisions of his career.
The good news is that better days should be ahead for Maye, who just turned 24 years old on Aug. 30. The bad is that he literally threw this football game away when he didn’t have to.
Loser No. 2
Romeo Doubs - WR
The Patriots needed Doubs, one of their top free-agent additions, to step up and make some plays after Brown hobbled off the field and couldn’t return. But his Patriots debut was an absolute disaster.
Doubs was targeted three times. One of them was intercepted. Another was a blatant drop on a ball placed right in his hands that would have set the Patriots up in Seahawks territory with the game tied 10-10 midway through the fourth quarter.
Maye basically bailed on looking Doubs’ way on the Patriots’ gotta-have-it drive at the end, instead locking in on Mack Hollins. Doubs, too, will have better days ahead — because he couldn’t possibly play worse than he did on Wednesday night.
Loser No. 3
The inside linebackers
The Patriots got torched in the middle of the field in the second half. Similar to the start of last season, linebackers Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss got picked on in coverage. They were charged with a combined eight receptions on nine targets in the game, per Pro Football Focus.
Spillane flew around as usual and led the team with seven solo tackles, but the decision not to add real reinforcements to that group this offseason continues to be a major second guess.
Winner No. 1
The revamped offensive line
The Patriots’ new-look offensive line did its job, with 2025 draft picks Will Campbell and Jared Wilson at the forefront. Free-agent addition Alijah Vera-Tucker showed some rust in his first game action in two years, but New England handled Seattle’s exotic looks and was in control of the game before Maye’s brutal fourth quarter.
Mike Onwenu, the Patriots’ best lineman from a year ago, was rock-solid once again on the right side playing next to tackle Morgan Moses. The play of that group — and Campbell in particular — might have been the biggest silver lining of an otherwise disappointing night.
Winner No. 2
Mack Hollins - WR
On their final drive of the game, the Patriots faced second-and-21 and found a way to convert and extend the game. They later did the same on a third-and-19 situation. Hollins was Maye’s go-to target both times.
Hollins wound up leading all Patriots receivers with four catches for 55 yards. He was the only receiver Maye seemed to trust in crunch time, and he could be poised for an expanded role going forward after Brown left the stadium in a walking boot.
Winner No. 3
Christian Gonzalez - CB
Days after becoming the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, Gonzalez was money against the Seahawks. Per PFF, Gonzalez was targeted five times and allowed just two receptions for nine yards. He also had a pair of pass breakups.
The Seahawks still found a way to move star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba around and feed him eight times for 122 yards and a touchdown. That was the frustrating part. But Gonzalez was as advertised in his 2026 debut.
Winner No. 4
Dre’Mont Jones
Jones wreaked off the edge in his first game as a Patriot. He recorded a sack on Seattle’s first series of the game and finished with seven QB pressures and six hurries, per PFF.
New England’s pass rushing depth was questioned throughout training camp, but Jones was impressive, logging 42 total snaps and rarely leaving the field.
Winner No. 5
The 2026 draft picks
There was some speculation about how much second-round rookie Gabe Jacas would play out of the gate after he missed so much of the offseason program. He wound up playing 19 defensive snaps on Wednesday and made his presence felt with a sack and two tackles for loss. Jacas did have a bad penalty on special teams that left the offense backed up, but it was a solid start overall.
Ditto for tight end Eli Raridon. He remains a work in progress as a blocker, but he flashed the kind of weapon he can be in the red zone after he slipped behind the defense uncovered and hauled in the Patriots’ lone touchdown of the game.
Sixth-round draft pick Namdi Obiazor didn't play a snap on defense but made a pair of solo tackles on special teams.
The Patriots may not get a ton from their 2026 draft class as a whole this season, but Jacas and Raridon both have a chance to make an impact and see their roles grow in the coming weeks.
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