FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A.J. Brown's trade to the Patriots this offseason provided a fresh start for the receiver, an opportunity to play alongside a dynamic young quarterback and a reunion with the coach he began his career with in Tennessee.
Those positive vibes are now on hold following New England's season-opening 13-10 loss to the defending champion Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch. Brown exited early with a right ankle injury, and Drake
Maye threw three interceptions without him.
Brown will have further evaluation and testing in the coming days before his status for New England's Sept. 20 home opener against Pittsburgh is known.
“I don’t know if he’ll be available going forward here for the next week. But we’ll see,” coach Mike Vrabel said.
It's an early dose of adversity for the Patriots, whose schedule is stacked with opponents who made the playoffs last season.
A staple of Vrabel’s talks with his team is harping on three categories: “the good, the bad and the stuff that gets us beat.”
“This game had all of those,” Vrabel said.
While Brown's injury qualifies as bad, perhaps a bigger concern is the poor showing by Maye, who also was stymied by Seattle in the Super Bowl loss.
The same issues that undid him in February arose again — poor decision-making and errant throws in key moments.
Maye has made it a priority this season to become a more vocal leader.
His initial message to the team will be not to panic about one game, mistakes aside.
“You’ve got to stick together and that starts with me getting back to work and having the right intention in practice,” Maye said. “These guys are here for me. I think they’ve done a great job in supporting me and have had my back. I’ve got to earn their trust.”
The offensive line held up well, with all five starters playing 100% of the snaps. That followed an offseason that saw the departure of center Garrett Bradbury, Jared Wilson moving from left guard to center and new addition Alijah Vera-Tucker taking over Wilson’s spot.
“I felt like we did protect better. And I thought there were a lot of strides in that regard,” Vrabel said. “Not perfect, but I thought that we were able to at least create some pockets and that to give us a chance to throw from.”
Maye was sacked three times, but they didn’t come on egregiously blown blocking assignments. It’s an improvement from the start of last season, when Maye was sacked at least four times in six of New England's first nine games.
The absence of TreVeyon Henderson, who has an ankle injury, didn’t help, but the Patriots struggled to establish the run. They finished with 109 rushing yards on 31 attempts, a 3.5-yard average. Rhamondre Stevenson led the way with 51 yards on 18 attempts, followed by Maye (seven carries, 47 yards) and recent trade acquisition Corey Kiner (six carries, 11 yards).
Rookie tight end Eli Raridon pulled in the Patriots’ lone touchdown on a 2-yard toss from Maye in the second quarter.
It was the lone catch and target for the third-round draft pick out of Notre Dame. But it’s a good sign for an offense that uses the position a lot, especially near the goal line. Raridon could emerge as a strong complement to veteran Hunter Henry.
Wide receiver Romeo Doubs was one of the Patriots’ top free-agent additions, signing a four-year, $70 million contract.
His debut was one he’d like to have back.
With the Patriots leading 10-3 early in the fourth quarter, Maye attempted one of his few deep passes to Doubs. It was deflected by Rodney Thomas II and intercepted by Nehemiah Pritchett.
Five plays later, Seattle's Drew Lock connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 45-yard touchdown.
On the next series, the Patriots were on their own 22 when Doubs dropped a wide-open pass from Maye that would have gotten them into Seahawks territory.
It left the Patriots in a third-and-long, and Maye’s pass to Demario Douglas was picked off. Seattle capitalized with a field goal that proved to be the decisive score.
“I just wasn’t locked in. That’s all. I mean, the video speaks for itself,” Doubs said. “I’ll be better moving forward.”
0 — The number of multiple-interception games by Maye during the 2025 regular season.
The midweek opener means the Patriots will have three days off before beginning preparations for their home opener against the Steelers on Sept. 20.
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