In the days since the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Seahawks, there has been a lot of debate around who is most at fault for their collapse after an impressive 2025 season, particularly their postseason run. For the most part, the offense has received the most criticism, rightfully so, with most blame placed on QB Drake Maye and LT Will Campbell for their weak performances.
The pair deserves criticism for failing to thrive under pressure, but there is a fair argument that their weaknesses weren't the biggest problem for New England. In fact, it would be fair to suggest that the coaching might have prevented a win.
That's an argument Super Bowl LIII Champion Jason McCourty made during his recent appearance on "Up & Adams" earlier this week, as he highlighted there is plenty of blame to go around, but perhaps the most should be resting on the shoulders of Josh McDaniels and Mike Vrabel.
Jason McCourty puts more blame on the Patriots' coaching staff for their Super Bowl LX loss
In the midst of the discussion, McCourty raises a point that few are discussing, and it's probably something that should be looked into further, given how unprepared the Patriots players looked on Sunday night.
"Drake missed quite a bit of throws... [But] there's enough blame to go around for every coach and player that's on the offensive side of the ball."
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 9, 2026
Jason McCourty blames coaching more than Drake Maye for the Patriots' SBLX loss@JasonMcCourty | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/plD8Kc45TO
As McCourty said, there is a lot of blame to share for the Patriots' shortcomings, but much of it comes down to coaching, and they have borne the least amount of blame over the past week.
Based on what we know now, it seems Campbell shouldn't have been playing, as he revealed he suffered a worse injury than previously known, and the same can be said for Maye.
Although the quarterback seemed good enough to play and would likely be on the field no matter what, his shoulder was far more beat up than anyone knew, which he revealed after the loss.
While neither of their performances could have been predicted, the decision to keep Campbell in the game has been a topic of debate among fans in recent days, along with McDaniels's questionable offensive game plan. They couldn't get anything going, and Maye was struggling to see the field while dealing with an inconsistent offensive line, which led to an all-out disaster.
More of the conversation about their performance should focus on what we saw from the coaches. Even though no one is going to be fired (obviously), there is room to discuss their shortcomings in the biggest game of the season rather than placing all the blame on the players.