It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s not Christmas; it’s the start of the NFL season. The Seattle Seahawks hosted the New England Patriots in the first Super Bowl rematch to begin the campaign since Seattle hosted the Denver Broncos in 2014. Last night’s gave lived up to the hype and was an exciting way to begin the season, let’s dive into some of the takeaways from opening night.
Drake Maye is NOT Elite
Last night was a horrendous look for a player who finished second in MVP voting just last season. Drake Maye was awful when the Patriots needed it the most. After Sam Darnold went down on the 5th play of the game and the Seahawks threw in backup QB Drew Lock, the Patriots were in the driver’s seat. New England was up 10-0 in the 3rd quarter, and they blew it. Drake Maye had the first three-interception game of his career. You know what made it worse? They all came in the 4th quarter.
From floating it up into a contested Romeo Doubs, who had a disastrous drop the next series. To waiting too long to zip a pass up the seam, only for Julian Love to pick it off. However, the last interception was by far the worst. Down 13-10 with 21 seconds remaining, Maye throws a back-foot lollipop pass to Mack Hollins, which was short-armed, and Seahawks’ hero Josh Jobe picked it off to seal the game.
That turnover erased all the positives he had done that drove his team into position to at least reach overtime. From converting a 4th & 2 on his own 35-yard line to a 4th & 9 on the Seahawks’ 47-yard line. It was unacceptable, in Maye’s own words. What’s done is done, but you can’t have an elite quarterback conversation and have Drake in it.
Seattle’s Dark Side is Inevitable
It seems like it doesn’t matter which quarterback is out there. When the Seahawks need a big play on defense, they come up with one. The self-titled “Dark Side” defense has been one of the best since head coach Mike Macdonald joined the team back in 2024. Last year, they dominated one of the best offenses last season in the Super Bowl. They have pummeled almost everyone that has stepped in front of them.
I was skeptical entering the season about whether the NFL would have caught up to the Seahawks’ exotic blitzes and coverages. Despite it being the first week of the season, I don’t believe I see any evidence that would support anything else. They have an elite defensive line and a dominant 1-2 punch in the defensive backfield with Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love. The Dark Side should reign again this year as one of the league’s best units.
Patriots Might be Cooked
Was the loss jaw-dropping? Absolutely, but it was also a costly loss. The Patriots traded for 3x Pro Bowler AJ Brown this offseason, and he suffered a high ankle sprain in the 3rd quarter last night. He was the team’s big-time acquisition. Pairing him with Maye was supposed to be one of the best connections in the NFL this season. Brown finished with three catches for 26 yards in his Pats debut.
He went to the locker room to get X-rays, which came back negative for a major fracture. A normal timeline for a high ankle sprain is 4-8 weeks, depending on the severity of the injury. Their receiving room was already thin with AJ Brown; without him, Josh McDaniels must put on a masterclass to be competitive in the toughest part of their schedule.
Their defense was also eye-popping for all the wrong reasons. They allowed Drew Lock, a backup quarterback, to go 16/22 for 187 yards, a touchdown, and a 113.2 passer rating. Their lack of a pass rush was shown by only getting to Darnold and Lock twice last night. The Seahawks only had one offensive weapon do anything last night: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. They could not guard him. When Seattle needed a big play on offense, JSN was wide open.
Final Thoughts
If I were a Patriots fan, I would be wearing the brown paper bags today. That was a horrendous showing from a team that appeared to be on the rise. In terms of the Seahawks, last night was a survive-and-advance kind of game. When you have the Rams in your division, you can’t allow a game to slip through your fingers, and they made a Herculean comeback last night. What were your takeaways from last night’s game? How worried are you about Drake Maye?
As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts and takeaways from the Seahawks overcoming a 10-0 deficit to defeat the New England Patriots! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! Thank you for making us part of your day, and look forward to seeing you again soon.
