The New England Patriots‘ 2025 campaign came to an end with a 29-13 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Sunday night. While there is so much to love about what New England showed this year, there’s no doubt that this result is going to sting for a while.
The score may indicate a different story, but this was 100% a winnable game for the Patriots. A series of mistakes throughout the game cost them, though, so let’s pick out three plays that ended up defining what proved to be the most disappointing game of the year for the Pats.
1st & 10 at NE 4, 10:40 Q4: Drake Maye overthrows a wide-open Austin Hooper
New England began to show signs of life on offense in the fourth quarter. After a Drake Maye fumble led to the first touchdown of the game, the Pats cut into the Seahawks 19-0 lead when Maye found Mack Hollins on the left sideline for a 35-yard score.
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The Patriots’ defense promptly forced a three-and-out, but punter Michael Dickson pinned the offense at their own four-yard line. On the first play of the drive, tight end Austin Hooper got free about 20 yards down the field, only for Maye to come nowhere close to hitting his target.
Maye faced pressure all night long, but he did himself no favors when he had time. In the rare instances when he was able to get a clean throw off, he either struggled to read the defense or made a poor throw. This play falls into the latter category, but the next play will fall into the first category.
2nd & 3 at NE 44, 8:49 Q4: Drake Maye gets intercepted by Julian Love
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Maye overcame that horrid miss to gradually begin leading the Patriots down the field. While nothing had worked for New England for much of this game, it was still down only 12 points with just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, which is a deficit that this team was more than capable of overcoming.
On 2nd & 3 right around midfield, though, Maye made perhaps his biggest mistake of the night. Facing a relatively clean pocket, he stepped up and delivered a throw deep down the middle of the field. It ended up being in between two different receivers, though, and safety Julian Love stepped up for one of the easiest interceptions of his life.
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Maybe Maye’s hand got hit on his follow-through, or his shoulder injury prevented him from putting enough on this throw, because if he gets everything on it, he has Kyle Williams open for a potential touchdown. Given the circumstances, though, there was no sense forcing this throw, as it effectively ended any shot the Pats had of rallying to win.
3rd & 9 at SEA 44, 7:23 Q1: Drake Maye throws the ball away after being pressured by Devon Witherspoon
Devon Witherspoon’s blitz on third-and-9 forces a Drake Maye throwaway. The Patriots punt from the Seahawks side of the field with 7:23 to go in the first quarter and don’t make it back onto Seattle’s side of the field until the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/VJ5SK6nYiF
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 9, 2026
The different looks that the Seahawks’ defense showed the Patriots’ offense throughout this game played a big role in determining the outcome. As Bill Barnwell of ESPN noted in his postgame column, though, there was one particular wrinkle that gave Maye problems all night long, and we got a glimpse of it on the first drive.
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Facing 3rd & 9, Seattle showed a disguised blitz, as they dropped six guys into the box. At the last second, star cornerback Devon Witherspoon rushed up towards the line and blitzed past Will Campbell on the left side. The Seahawks’ defensive tackles dropped into coverage, forcing Maye to run to his right and simply throw the football away.
Seattle used Witherspoon as their secret weapon all night long on blitzes. His pressure forced Maye into his second pick, which was basically a fumble that hung in the air long enough for Uchenna Nwosu to catch it and return it to the house. This game was a learning experience for Maye, and here’s hoping he can use it to return as a better player in 2026.
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