The Seattle Seahawks have finally raised their Super Bowl banner, ending all the festivities that come with being World Champions. Now it was on to 2026, and first up on the schedule? A Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots.
Seattle certainly didn't make a good impression as defending champions, at least not early. It didn't help that Sam Darnold was knocked out of the game early with a hip injury, forcing the team to turn to backup Drew Lock. Suddenly, the folks from Foxborough had a chance to crash the party in the Pacific Northwest.
For 30 minutes, they certainly looked like it, going into the half with a 10-0 lead. But then, the hosts realized that trespassing in Lumen Field violated the 12th man policy and laid down the law, scoring 13 straight points to preserve a 13-10 victory.
How did Seattle avoid a letdown? The bigger question is, how did the Patriots let this get away from them? Three words: the fourth quarter. New England committed three turnovers, highlighted by their last play of the game. Hence, an 0-1 start and plenty of outside noise headed their way.
Why were the Seattle Seahawks able to beat the Patriots in Week 1?
1. Drake Maye once again folded under the bright lights
In the first half, Drake Maye looked like someone itching to remove the stench of a Super Bowl letdown. Despite throwing only one touchdown, a two-yard floater to rookie Eli Raridon, Maye found ways to move the ball, including handing the ball off to Rhamondre Stevenson, who finished the night with 51 yards on 18 carries, along with five catches for 44 yards.
Then, somehow, Maye resorted to playing a combo game of "Throw and Seek" and "Blue's Clues," fitting for the show's 30th anniversary. The clues are: Nehemiah Pritchett, Julian Love, and Josh Jobe. They all play for the same team? True, but that's not it. Wait, we know what the answer is. Interceptions off Drake Maye in the second half, all in the fourth quarter!
Given Seattle's defensive pedigree, the best thing to do is to play mistake-free football. Maye simply couldn't do that. As a result, the Patriots are 0-1, and the rest of the season looks more daunting than it did last year.
2. Romeo Doubs simply could not make plays
Rob Gronkowski should be making a phone call to Patriots owner Robert Kraft right now. Why? To demand that Romeo Doubs be relieved of the 87 jersey and have it retired instead. Perhaps he can do that in November when he is inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
As for Doubs, Week 1 was a trip to the Hall of Shame. It certainly didn't help that the "Dark Side" defense took control of the game. That doesn't excuse how Doubs did little to ease the pain, dropping the ball several times when his quarterback needed help.
AJ Brown's ankle injury certainly didn't help, but it is still no excuse for underperforming. Doubs arrived this offseason with a four-year, $68 million contract and was expected to help play a major role in upgrading New England's offense. Against Seattle, he didn't make a good first impression. Simply put, he dropped the ball.
3. Josh McDaniels' play-calling was head-scratching
As much as Maye deserves criticism for what happened late, New England's offensive playcalling did him no favors. The Patriots had Seattle on the ropes early, and the defense, led by newly paid cornerback Christian Gonzalez, was playing at an elite level. All they needed was to stick to their ball-control offense, and a win would have been assured.
Instead, whatever game plan was working in the 1st half must have been scrapped, and the offense became increasingly predictable. The running game was inconsistent, and the passing game relied on Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas. Not having TreVeyon Henderson and AJ Brown is certainly a handicap, but it still doesn't explain the lackadaisical play.
Overall, New England turned a game it should have won into one Seattle stole, and already, the outside is chirping. Was it possible that last year was indeed all about the strength of schedule, or perhaps this was a bad first impression that will take a lot of trust to repair?
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