New England Patriots
“If you make them, you’re celebrating. If you [don’t], you’re sitting here crying at a podium.”
Drake Maye and the Patriots came up short in Super Bowl LX. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
February 9, 2026 | 12:46 AM
4 minutes to read
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Just 20 minutes after the most important football game of his life came to a crushing end, Drake Maye was candid when asked if he had any second-guesses in Super Bowl LX.
“What [plays] would I like to have back? Go back to the beginning. Redo it,” Maye said with a chuckle.
That brief blip of humor undercut the crushing reality that started to set in as Maye fielded questions just outside of Levi’s Stadium.
The 2025 Patriots season — as improbable as it was — did not get a storybook ending.
The “Road Warriors” were finally rendered mortal away from Gillette Stadium.
And as blue and green confetti rained down on the field in Santa Clara, Maye and the Patriots could only look back on the several missteps that brought them to an eventual 29-13 loss in Super Bowl LX.
“Yeah, I think there are plays that I’ll think about for, probably, the next seven months until we’re back in September playing our first one,” Maye said when asked of his miscues. “That’s the nature of it.”
An explosive and efficient Patriots offense led the way all season for New England — with Maye standing as its unwavering conductor with his accurate howitzer of an arm and knack for ducking pressure.
Such wasn’t the case on Sunday night against an elite Seattle defense.
Maye wasn’t aided by a Patriots offense line that crumbled on Sunday — with Seattle racking up six sacks and 11 QB hits in a defensive masterclass.
But Maye can’t be absolved from what served as an offensive implosion from New England — with the Patriots recording as many punts as they had receptions (eight) entering the fourth quarter.
“Credit to them, we were moving it solid in the first couple drives, then had a couple of negative plays that would kind of put us behind the chains. Then from there, we just couldn’t stay ahead of the chains, third and short we couldn’t pick up first downs,” Maye said. “They had some pressure where they got us a few times.
“Got to be better with the football, make better decisions, and I’ve got to make better throws when the game is like that. I have to make some throws to move the football.”
While New England’s offense sputtered all night, it was miscues from Maye that gave Seattle the opportunity it needed to deliver drive the final nails into the Patriots’ coffin.
Maye was knocked for three turnovers in the second half — two interceptions (including a 45-yard pick-six from Uchenna Nwosu) and a strip-sack that was gobbled up by Byron Murphy II.
In total, Seattle generated 17 points off of those three turnovers from Maye.
“I think we were, what was it, 19-7 or 22-7, and I have the fumble or whatever [the call was], they return it for a touchdown, could’ve made a better throw or make a better decision,” Maye said. “It just comes down to who makes the plays and who doesn’t, and they made the plays tonight.”
Maye and several of his teammates did harp on the positives drawn out of a season rife with some promise.
New England is seemingly well ahead of schedule in its roster retooling — boasting a franchise QB in Maye, a reigning Coach of the Year in Mike Vrabel, and a roster that has the means to upgrade itself via cap space and other offseason maneuvers.
That optimism was evident as Maye and the Patriots sit just a few months away from mini-camp and OTAs.
“We’re back going in April, so, it’s a quick turnaround. I think it’s been the biggest thing, just the relationships you build, whether it’s new people, old teammates that you’ve had, or teammates from last year that you just continue to build more relationships, and just the memories.”
Those memories started to linger for Maye as tears began to well up in his eyes.
He paused for several moments while reflecting on Vrabel — who he deemed the “heartbeat” of this upstart club.
There was a salute to the support staff and other personnel working behind the scenes — a group that Maye said doesn’t put in the work “for the money or for the fame.”
Drake Maye, fighting back tears, while talking about the whole support staff with the Patriots:
“There’s people in here that do it for, not for the money or the fame. That’s what’s cool about this team.” pic.twitter.com/nl0sVMf6jN
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 9, 2026
And there were his teammates — the friends and brothers that he forged bonds with over the seven months en route to an unexpected run to a title game.
“Man, I’m so proud,” Maye said of his teammates. “That’s what probably chokes me up the most. This team is something that I’m glad to be a part of.”
“You’ve got to play at your best, and those plays that can change the game matter,” the Patriots 23-year-old QB added. “If you make them, you’re celebrating. If you [don’t] you’re sitting here crying at a podium. So, that’s part of it. I know the postseason is what you play for, and I know we’ll be back in the postseason and that’s what you play the game for.”
The Patriots and Maye could be back on this stage at some point. But few things are guaranteed in football.
New England’s QB will ponder those thoughts for the remainder of a short — and painful — offseason.
What do the Patriots need to do in the offseason?
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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