New England Patriots
Let us count the regrets, of which there are a few.
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
It might require a pigskin debacle beyond the grasp of our imaginations for the 2026 Patriots to have a more frustrating regular-season loss than the one they opened their season with Wednesday night.
It’s not that they lost, or to whom they lost. A 13-10 defeat on the road to the defending champion Seahawks is not a terrible outcome at a glance, especially since the Patriots happened to be the overmatched victim of the Seahawks’ excellence in their 29-13 victory in Super Bowl LX.
But how it happened? Oh yeah, that stings. Let us count the regrets, of which there are a few.
1. The Seahawks lost starting quarterback Sam Darnold to a hip injury after their first offensive series. Backup Drew Lock, whose scouting report might read, “Strong arm, that’s about it, folks,” came in and hit 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, played with the poise of a much more decorated player.
2. Prized offseason acquisition A.J. Brown, the kind of receiving weapon Drake Maye lacked last season when he finished runner-up for Most Valuable Player and should have won the thing, injured his ankle in the third quarter and did not return to the game. If you’re now even more confused why the Patriots gave Kayshon Boutte away, I’m with you.
3. The Patriots probably would have won the game had Maye not turned the fourth quarter into a 2022 Mac Jones tribute. All three of the Patriots’ drives in the fourth ended with Maye interceptions, including an inexplicable underthrown alley-oop to Mack Hollins in the final minute with the Patriots in position to at least tie the game. Ugh, what a disappointing way to open.
Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …
Three players who were worth watching
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: A.J. Brown, Christian Gonzalez, Jadarian Price.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: The Seahawks receiver and reigning NFL offensive player of the year became Lock’s new best friend over the course of the game. At halftime, he had five catches for 53 yards, fine numbers for most receivers, but modest by his usual output. In the second half, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he changed the game. Smith-Njigba opened the Seahawks’ first drive of the fourth quarter with a 13-yard catch. They trailed, 10-3, at that point, but that changed three plays later, when on fourth and 1 from the Patriots 45 he caught a short throw in a soft spot of the Patriots zone and outran their defense to the end zone, tying the score at 10 and fully awakening the surprisingly laconic fans at Lumen Field. Having a game-breaking receiver like Smith-Njigba is such a difference-maker for an offense.
A.J. Brown: The Patriots, of course, went out and traded for a difference-maker of their own in the offseason, bringing in the three-time Pro Bowl receiver Brown from the Eagles. Before leaving the game with what appeared to be a high ankle sprain early in the third quarter, he was everything the Patriots could have hoped for. When he converted a third and 4 near midfield early in the second quarter, gaining 5 yards, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth declared, “[The Patriots] have answers that they didn’t have in the Super Bowl.” Less than two minutes later, Brown set up what would be their lone touchdown, drawing a 34-yard pass interference penalty on a third-down flea-flicker that put the ball on the Seahawks 2. Had Brown not had to leave the game, the Patriots would almost certainly be 1-0. After the offseason’s long, anticipatory wait to see him play with Maye, it’s a massive bummer that he got hurt, and so soon.
Gabe Jacas: Yeah, yeah, another Seahawks player — maybe a Maye interceptor such as Julian Love, Josh Jobe, or the excellent Nehemiah Pritchett — probably deserves to be acknowledged in this spot. But hey, this is Patriots territory, and it is worth noting that Jacas, an edge rusher, had a forceful NFL debut, with a second-quarter sack of Lock for a 7-yard loss, as well a ferocious tackle on running back Jadarian Price that left him with a 3-yard loss.
Grievance of the game
Romeo Doubs, the former Packers receiver signed to a four-year, $68 million contract in the offseason, had three targets in his Patriots debut. We’re still waiting for his first Patriots catch. He should have had a big gainer early in the fourth quarter on a second-and-14 play from the Patriots 22, but Maye’s accurate throw ricocheted off his hands. On the next play, Maye was picked off by Love at the Patriots 47. In his Patriots debut, Doubs played like someone Bill Belichick would have spent a high draft pick on from 2003 onward. That is not in any way a compliment.
Three notes scribbled in the margins
Predicted final score: Seahawks 31, Patriots 27.
Final score: Seahawks 13, Patriots 10.
The Patriots missed speedy second-year running back Tre’Veyon Henderson, or at least missed the threat of him as a complement to Rhamondre Stevenson. Henderson was inactive with an ankle injury, and in his absence, backups Lan Larison and Corey Kiner combined for 11 rushing yards and 9 receiving yards … Decent night for rookies out of Notre Dame. Tight end Eli Raridon scored the Patriots lone touchdown on a 2-yard reception in the second quarter, while Seahawks running back Jadarian Price ran for 52 yards on 10 carries, including a 13-yard burst on the game’s first play from scrimmage … One of the Seahawks’ unheralded weapons is their punter, Michael Dickson, who was exceptional in Super Bowl LX, averaging 47.9 yards on seven kicks, including three inside the 20. Wednesday night, Patriots punter Mitch Wishnowsky, stepping in for injured holdover Bryce Baringer, did a fine job going toe-to-toe with Dickson, including landing punts at the Seattle 7, 10, and 14-yard-lines in the first half. He might be worthy of keeping the job.
