Is it normal for a regular season loss to sting worse than a Super Bowl loss?
That might be the question some New England Patriots fans are asking after the team threw up over themselves in the second half of Wednesday's opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Patriots looked to be in complete control headed into halftime. They were ahead 7-0 against a Seahawks team with their starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, out for the game, along with both starting safeties, Nick Emmanwori and Ty Okada, out with injuries.
The offensive line played better, and Maye protected the football by taking only what the defense gave him. It was as efficient a Josh McDaniels offense as you will see in a tough environment like Lumen Field.
And then the wheels fell off.
A.J. Brown left the game with an ankle injury, Maye became a turnover machine, the offense started making mistakes and the defense looked slow against the Drew Lock-led Seahawks offense.
Yikes.
Maye threw three interceptions in the second half, including one late in the game that nixed any chance of Andy Borregales kicking a game-tying field goal. It was a brutal performance by the third-year quarterback in the second half that raises serious questions.
It didn't help that Romeo Doubs, the Patriots' other big free agent wide receiver acquisition, couldn't haul in a single catch, including a wide open pass late in the game that would have moved the sticks.
But the onus of this game has to go on the coaching staff. Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald outcoached Mike Vrabel in the game. There is no other reason for the Patriots getting slam-dunked on by a backup quarterback in primetime. For a second straight matchup with Seattle, Josh McDaniels' offense looked stuck in the mud against an elite defense, and although Zak Kuhr's defense mostly played well, it didn't play as well as Seattle's defense did to win the game.
This one stings for the Patriots, and they will have four extra days to sit on it before they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers next week.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots blow golden opportunity in 13-10 Week 1 loss to Seahawks
