Seven months removed from Super Bowl LX, the end result remained the same.
The New England Patriots fell to the Seattle Seahawks in Wednesday night’s season opener at Lumen Field, where a 10-0 lead became a 13-10 loss.
Here’s a glance back on the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff as head coach Mike Vrabel’s side returns home at 0-1.
After early TD, Maye finds three picks in as many drives
The Patriots were prepared to go silent in Seattle. There was still a chance to make some noise while there.
Drake Maye completed 23-of-33 passes for 178 yards against Seahawks head coach
Mike Macdonald’s defense. He added 47 rushing yards across seven scrambles, beginning with a gain of 10 and soon continuing with unnecessary roughness out of bounds. But the 24-year-old reigning All-Pro ultimately delivered one touchdown and three interceptions by the end of Wednesday night.
Starting in “21” personnel with Reggie Gilliam at fullback and captain Hunter Henry at tight end, the Patriots’ first drive netted a pair of first downs before ending in a punt. The second series brought the same outcome after being halted in the backfield on third-and-1 handoff. The third series, though, spanned 10 plays, 77 yards and trickery on the way to tight end Eli Raridon’s first career touchdown catch at the goal line. Peeling to the back corner of the end zone, the rookie out of Notre Dame gave New England a 7-0 lead with 9:11 to go before halftime.
By intermission, the visiting offense stood with no sacks, no turnovers, no penalties and a conversion rate of 43 percent on third down. Coming out of it, what was once a punt became a penalty on the Seahawks for roughing the kicker. Yet a 10-0 advantage was put to the test by field position before long. It was also put to the test a jump ball intended for wide receiver Romeo Doubs that bobbled into the hands of cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett for a pick in the fourth quarter.
A subsequent drop by the March signing set the stage for the second turnover by New England’s quarterback. Safety Julian Love read it in the middle of the field.
Trailing 13-10, Maye kept the Patriots’ hopes alive on fourth-and-2 with his legs and on fourth-and-9 with his arm. But while in range for a field goal on third-and-5 with 25 seconds to go, a dangerous decision was paid for in the right corner of end zone. Cornerback Josh Jobe toe-tapped the third interception in as many drives to seal the Seattle comeback.
New-look receiver room finishes without No. 1
There’d be no Nick Emmanwori or Ty Okada at safety for the Seahawks. There would be A.J. Brown at wide receiver for the Patriots. That was until an ankle injury saw him downgraded from questionable to out in the second half after visits to the blue medical tent and locker room.
The June acquisition caught three passes for 26 yards in his brief 2026 debut, with his initial look coming at the 3:24 mark in the first quarter. The three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro also drew defensive pass interference on a flea-flicker to set up September’s first touchdown.
Elder statesman Mack Hollins started alongside No. 1 and finished with four receptions worth a team-high 51 yards. Slot receiver DeMario Douglas, kickoff returner Kyle Williams and the aforementioned Doubs stepped in behind them.
As New England went big with four active tight ends, Efton Chism III became a healthy scratch 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
Down Henderson, Stevenson tallies 95 yards from scrimmage
An ankle injury sustained late in training camp kept TreVeyon Henderson out of practice for the past two weeks. It also kept the 2025 PFWA All-Rookie running back out for Wednesday night in the Pacific Northwest.
New England still had a ground commitment. It was led by Rhamondre Stevenson. The established starter turned 18 carries into 51 yards versus the teeth of Seattle’ defense. He added a handful of catches out of the backfield to the tune of 44 yards, including a play-action swing pass for 17.
Corey Kiner, who landed in Foxborough via trade ahead of the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline, made his Patriots debut with 11 rushing yards. And UC Davis alum Lan Larison, a standard elevation from the practice squad, rounded out the depth chart with nine receiving yards after spending his rookie year on injured reserve.
Patriots offensive line’s shot at redemption
The Seahawks hit home for six sacks against the Patriots in February. By and large, that stayed at bay to begin September.
The offensive line broke the huddle with Will Campbell at left tackle, Alijah Vera-Tucker at left guard, Jared Wilson at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard and 35-year-old team captain Morgan Moses at right tackle. The reshaped starting five hadn’t taken a snap during the preseason. Yet as the decibels rained down at Lumen Field, so did a familiar front.
Defensive lineman Leonard Williams cleaned up B-gap pressure for Seattle’s first sack with 5:22 to go in the fourth quarter. Outside linebacker Derick Hall got the second in the closing seconds. By the end of Wednesday night, one false start, one illegal block in the back and one holding penalty had been charged to the tackles on New England’s line.
August addition Greg Van Roten reported as an eligible for the defending AFC champions. The backup blockers in uniform also included No. 28 overall pick Caleb Lomu and draft classmate Dametrious Crownover after Ben Brown was ruled out with a knee injury earlier in the week. Recent trade acquisition Walter Rouse went to the inactives list.
Darnold completes one pass before exit
Sam Darnold had been held without a turnover when his side last crossed paths with the Patriots. He had been sacked just once, too. But the season opener ended just as it began for him. The Super Bowl LX champion under center limped to the locker room at the 7:29 mark in the first quarter after the evening got underway with a takedown and a punt.
Downgraded from questionable to out due to a hip injury, the Seahawks quarterback finished 1-of-2 passing for 13 yards. Backup Drew Lock stepped in to go 16-of-22 for 185 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions and a late scramble to move the chains.
Seattle’s offense left the field by way of four consecutive punts before time expired in the first half. Another punt by Michael Dickson was how the second half got going, too. Yet a two-score game trimmed to a one-score game. And then a deadlock gave way to a 13-10 Seahawks advantage that couldn’t be outlasted.
New England’s starting defensive front included Milton Williams and Cory Durden on the interior. Elijah Ponder aligned off one edge and Dre’Mont Jones, who made a previous stop in Seattle, aligned off the other for the first sack of the evening. A sack courtesy of rookie outside linebacker Gabe Jacas followed as Seattle’s pass protection was flagged for multiple false starts.
From record-setting extension to Smith-Njigba
With a four-year, $135 million contract extension in hand, Christian Gonzalez set his sights on the 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year once again.
The record-setting Patriots cornerback had been integral in limiting Jaxon Smith-Njigba to 27 receiving yards on 10 targets last time around. The Seahawks wideout, capable of making every route in the tree look the same, would have a hand in a team-high 122 receiving yards and one touchdown on 11 targets this time around against the New England secondary. A short pass on fourth-and-1 unraveled into a 45-yard sprint through traffic.
No. 0 had a hand in a pair of deflections, including a near interception, while starting across from Carlton Davis III. The cornerbacks were joined in the three-safety nickel by captain Kevin Byard III, Dell Pettus and Craig Woodson, who missed a tackle on the way to it becoming a tie game at the 11:28 mark in the fourth frame.
Kicking operation hangs in
The Patriots entered the opener with two specialists on the active roster. By 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Mitch Wishnowsky had formally been called upon from the practice squad.
The September arrival in Foxborough proceeded to average 44.3 yards per punt across four opportunities against the Seahawks. Three inside-the-20 punts and a delay-of-game penalty in tandem with long snapper Julian Ashby were among them.
And with incumbent Bryce Baringer on injured reserve, holding work was also up for grabs. But Andy Borregales kept things through the uprights when he was turned to. New England’s kicker made his lone extra point and field goal at Lumen Field, converting from 50 yards away in the third quarter.
