Patriots made NFL history for all the wrong reasons in frustrating Week 1 loss

No NFL team is more synonymous with breaking records then the New England Patriots.

Unfortunately for Robert Kraft, his beloved franchise made history for all the wrong reasons in an ugly season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

And when you dig a little deeper into the numbers, it's perplexing how a Patriots team that looked better on paper squandered a prime opportunity to exact revenge against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Putting the Patriots' Week 1 loss in perspective

Numbers don't always tell the whole story.

But in some instances, they paint a pretty clear picture.

And make no mistake about it: Mike Vrabel's team completely melted down when it mattered most.

After playing a decent game for the first three quarters, the Patriots completely blew the fourth quarter in just about every way possible. In fact, they became the first team ever to throw at least three interceptions, take at least three sacks, commit at least three penalties, and fail to score a single point in any quarter of any single game.

Just digest that for a second.

In a league where we've seen some truly awful football, the Patriots—aka the defending AFC champions—put together a miserable fourth-quarter performance that etched them into the league history books above lowly franchises that haven't come close to matching their accomplishments.

Obviously, it's fair to put most of the blame on Drake Maye's shoulders. All three of his interceptions were poor decisions, and his final pick was downright inexcusable, especially considering the situation. That's only added more fuel to the conversation about his inability to beat elite teams.

If Maye hadn't forced an ill-advised throw to Mack Hollins, the Patriots likely would have kicked the game-tying field goal and gone to overtime.

Instead, their superstar quarterback committed a rookie mistake (again) and literally cost his team the game.

Who else deserves criticism for New England's fourth-quarter collapse?

As much as Maye deserves the lion's share of the blame, he's far from the only culprit.

The offensive line didn't quite hold up its end of the bargain when it mattered most. Will Campbell acquitted himself well after a disastrous Super Bowl performance, but he also committed a crucial holding penalty in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, the unit went from keeping Maye out of harm's way for the first three quarters to allowing the Seahawks to take him down three times.

Talk about not stepping up when it matters most.

Oh, and what about high-priced free-agent acquisition Romeo Doubs?

Before Maye's final interception, he threw a perfect pass to the former Green Bay Packer on what should have been a huge gain.

Instead, Doubs committed an egregious drop that took the wind out of the team's sails.

He finished the night with zero receptions on three targets.

Finally, let's not let the defense off the hook, either.

Seattle scored 10 of its 13 points in the final quarter, with the Patriots' pass rush failing to make much of an impact down the stretch. Sure, Maye's turnovers didn't help, but this unit should be good enough to get a stop in crunch time.

Like the Super Bowl, Zak Kuhr's group played solid but failed to record an interception or fumble recovery. In fact, this was the second straight matchup in which the Patriots committed three turnovers and failed to produce one of their own.

Needless to say, not much went right on either side of the ball during the most critical moments.

If the Patriots plan to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy, they have a lot of things to clean up as they prepare for a Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Hopefully, for Vrabel and Co., this is the last time they make history for the wrong reasons this season.

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