Drake Maye tried to throw the ball away.
Instead, the New England Patriots quarterback threw the game away.
Maye’s third interception – all in the fourth quarter – of the 2026 NFL season opener, a 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl 60 rematch, ended the Pats’ quest to tie or take the lead inside of the final minute of regulation.
Maye’s duck off his back foot wound up in the arms of Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe rather than the intended New England wideout Mack Hollins with 21 seconds left. The third-year quarterback who was the MVP runner-up a season ago had an opportunity to somewhat redeem himself after his paltry Super-Bowl performance seven months ago with a strong showing against a still-vaunted yet new-look Seattle defense,
particularly in the secondary.
That narrative is not going anywhere, however, now that Maye coughed the game up with his team in field-goal range to, at worst, have the chance to kick and send the game overtime. Now Mike Vrabel’s team has another long flight back east after a stifling defeat to Seattle.
All three of Maye’s interceptions were poor decisions, albeit aggressive throws. While commending the gumption, perhaps the most concerning aspect of the interceptions is Maye’s decision-making process. The first two picks came following first down runs that failed to keep the Patriots’ offense ahead of the sticks.
"We had the game under control," Maye told reporters after the game. "I thought we had a good plan to start chipping away and be patient. (I) lost patience. I think, just, decisions that cost us the game on my part, on my end ... at the same time, can't have those. It's unacceptable."
Drake Maye interceptions
A jump ball to Romeo Doubs on the second play of the fourth was batted around for the first pick, while Seahawks safety Julian Love baited him into a 30-yard throw over the middle that had no chance of reaching his intended target for the second pick. Having a lead (or while tied) in the fourth quarter is not the time to try to end the game with hero throws on the road against an elite defense, and Maye – who finished 23-of-33 passing for 178 yards and a touchdown – would be the first to tell anybody that.
He also knows that beating any team in the NFL while losing the turnover battle is a tall task that becomes virtually impossible when the opponent is the Seahawks, who were 13-0 last season while being on the proper side of that stat.
"It's a long season ... we have nothing but the utmost confidence in (Maye) and everybody on this football team," Vrabel told reporters, "and he's going to make a lot of plays for us."
Maye hasn’t looked the same since the 2025 postseason started, when the Patriots stared down four of the NFL's best defenses (the Los Angeles Chargers, the Houston Texans, the Denver Broncos and the Seahawks). Maye threw four picks (two in the Super Bowl) and put the ball on the ground 7 times during the postseason.
Abandoning the run
A head-scratching part of the night was Maye’s inconsistency in using his legs and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ inability to safely take advantage of his quarterback’s athleticism.
Maye rushed five times for 36 yards in the first half but didn’t have an attempt until late in the fourth quarter. A third-and-2 play with four minutes remaining in the game presented a brief moment to scramble or extend play with his legs, but he couldn’t break the pocket before throwing incomplete. He ultimately picked up the first down with a 5-yard rush on the next play without much hassle.
McDaniels called a boot play – reminiscent of the scamper that iced the AFC championship game over the Denver Broncos in January – to pick up a third down inside of the final minute. It served as a reminder that maybe Maye should have been doing that more often, as he finished with seven rushes for 47 yards.
Maye was without two of his most useful teammates on offense. Second-year running back TreyVeon Henderson has not yet recovered from an ankle injury suffered during training camp, and No. 1 wide receiver and prized offseason acquisition A.J. Brown departed in the first half, also with an ankle injury. Doubs dropping a key pass that led to the second pick was inexcusable, and his lack of chemistry with Maye also impacted the first interception.
But this is still the same quarterback who led the league in completion percentage his second season and made big-time play after big-time play for a team that had little going for it offensively aside from him a year ago.
Two performances against an elite defensive unit, led by a head coach players have routinely referred to as a “genius” – on the opposite ends of consecutive seasons – will not define Maye’s career. Hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Sept. 20 doesn’t mean the next assignment is much easier, though.
And after another listless loss for Maye and the Patriots offense, the negative narrative involving the North Carolina-raised young man is brewing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drake Maye says he made 'unacceptable' decisions in Patriots' loss. He's right
