Josh McDaniels might be in the hot seat already after Patriots' season opener

Since the NFL released the 2026 schedule earlier this year, it was clear that the Patriots would have a tough start when they faced their recent Super Bowl opponent on the road in the season opener.

Making matters worse was seeing who their first four opponents were, the Seahawks, Steelers, Jaguars, and the Bills, and knowing that meant they would have to be playing some of their best football during a time when most coaches, especially Bill Belichick, believe it's an extension of the preseason.

That typically means anything can happen in Week 1, even if a team like the Seahawks is heavily favored in a matchup, which they were this past week. And although the Patriots played horrific football, they were within reach all the way up until the final seconds of the game, when Drake Maye literally and figuratively threw their chances away.

The third-year quarterback was not on his game on Wednesday night, and while he deserves a lot of, if not the most, blame for the loss, it can't be overstated how much responsibility falls on the shoulders of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

This was the latest game where fans scratched their heads over many of his decisions throughout the night, especially his choice to run the ball on first down 60% of the time on first down. It was a recipe for disaster, since the Seahawks were consistently prepared for it and the backfield wasn't playing well, which only made it worse.

Now, McDaniels faces a lot of questions going into Week 2 that he will need to answer with a bounce-back performance against a high-powered Steelers team.

Josh McDaniels was a big problem for the Patriots' offense in Week 1

A brutal beating by the Seahawks, even if the score doesn't paint the picture as such, wasn't entirely unexpected for the Patriots, despite being motivated by their recent Super Bowl loss and hoping to prove they made the right upgrades during the offseason.

There was plenty to like about the game, including the mostly solid performance by the offensive line, rookies making an unexpected impact, and free-agent signings that looked well worth the money, particularly Dre'Mont Jones.

But a big stain on the game is how McDaniels has approached play calling, and it was a theme we saw throughout 2025, too. Although he appears to have incorporated new elements into his playbook to accommodate a quarterback like Maye, he is relying on old tactics that just aren't working with this roster.

Running the football on first down was an absolute disaster. It's not because Rhamondre Stevenson is a bad player; he's quite the opposite. But it clearly wasn't working against last season's best defensive line, so it should have been something McDaniels abandoned long before it was too late.

It's one of those things that's difficult to knock, because establishing the run and establishing it early is considered a solid plan in the NFL, and it's what most teams with a good running back try to do on a weekly basis.

So McDaniels wanting to do that, which they weren't able to do the last time these teams met seven months ago, made sense.

But once it was clear they wouldn't get anything better than the Super Bowl, they should have abandoned it and taken advantage of Seattle's depleted secondary, with two starting safeties out.

They could have had Maye airing it out much sooner, and perhaps better, and they wouldn't have been in a situation where they blew a ten-point lead and needed a game-winning drive to sneak out a win in Seattle.

It certainly would've been better than handing the ball off to Stevenson or Corey Kiner all night for no gain.

Better playcalling is a must if the Patriots' offense wants to thrive in 2026

This game was a prime example of why Patriots fans were concerned about McDaniels returning as the team's offensive play caller.

When he left for the Raiders in 2022, many were ready for the change, as he had seemingly become stagnant with his playbook. McDaniels kept running a style of play that benefited a player like Tom Brady, not Mac Jones, and that concern remained when Mike Vrabel brought him back last year.

Because Maye is such a different quarterback, McDaniels would need to challenge himself to change the playbook to fit his strengths, which weren't the same as Brady's. And although he's done that, there are questions about his decision-making, whether it be his insistence on running the ball on first down or limiting the quarterback's opportunities to utilize his arm talent and throw downfield.

That's exactly what we didn't need to see against a very talented Seahawks defense, which returned 20 of 22 players from last year's Championship-winning roster.

Because McDaniels had seven months to watch that film and come up with a better game plan, there's no excuse for the decisions he made in their second effort to beat the Seahawks. Instead, we saw plenty of mistakes and questionable decisions, and are now facing the wrath of analysts and fans everywhere, much of it deserved.

He is now in the driver's seat with the Steelers on the docket next, who also have a tough defensive line and a talented secondary. That means if the run fails early, he needs to change up the initial game plan and put the power in Maye's hands.

Otherwise, all the heat on McDaniels will be more than warranted, and it wouldn't be unfair to question if he's the right guy for the job this year.

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