An Absolutely Horrific Patriots Loss, the Rams-49ers Travel Bowl, and Hottest Takes

The Patriots' season opener in Seattle was supposed to be a statement game — a chance to exorcise the Super Bowl demons and prove last year wasn't a fluke. Instead, it became what Bill Simmons called "the worst Patriots loss I've seen in seven or eight months." Sam Darnold went down on the fifth snap of the Seahawks' season, handing the game to Drew Locke for 99% of the contest. All Drake Maye had to do was not throw three interceptions. He threw three interceptions. The Patriots blew a game they had no business losing, and the emotional hangover from the Super Bowl humiliation came flooding back in real time.

The Drake Maye Collapse

Maye's performance was genuinely alarming. Last season, he was nearly perfect on deep balls — one interception on deep passes all year. Against Seattle, he had two in a single game. Every deep ball he threw was underthrown. The flea flicker should have been an easy touchdown and wasn't. The final interception, with 35 seconds left and the Patriots at the 20-yard line needing only a field goal to force overtime, was the worst throw of his career. He forced the ball to Mack Hollins, who was covered by two defenders, rather than throwing it away.