The New England Patriots controlled much of the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night. At one point, they led by 10 points.
But things began to unravel in the fourth quarter. The Patriots had the ball three times in the final quarter Wednesday. All three drives, including the potential game-tying or game-winning series, ended in Drake Maye interceptions.
When asked about the last drive, which was the worst decision of the three Maye picks, head coach Mike Vrabel offered a telling remark.
“To have a chance, we’ve got to be great in that situation. We’ve got the field goal,” Vrabel told reporters. “Offense did a great job of battling back and fourth down conversion and putting ourselves in a position.
“We want to be aggressive, and just not reckless. They did a nice job and made a play.”
Maye finished the night 23 of 33 with 178 yards. He also had a touchdown but averaged only 5.4 yards per attempt. Maye rushed for 47 yards but also had three sacks along with the three picks.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Experiences Brutal 4th Quarter in Seahawks Loss
Vrabel’s “reckless” comment wasn’t necessarily directly at Maye. But that’s how the casual listener will take it because most would consider the throw Maye made “reckless.”
With 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Patriots at the Seattle 16-yard line, Maye was having trouble finding an open receiver. Instead of playing it safe, the third-year quarterback delivered a throw off his back foot into the front corner of the end zone.
Maye was trying to hit Mack Hollins, who he successfully connected with multiple times on the final drive. But Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe had Hollins blanketed on this play, and the throw didn’t have enough on it to get over Jobe’s head.
The only thing in doubt was whether the Seattle defensive back tapped both feet in bounds. He did, and the game was effectively over.
Maye’s errant throw came on third-and-5. A throw away out of bounds would have resulted in a field goal attempt, ending a potential game-winning drive. But not having the ability kick the game-tying field goal on the next play obviously meant a Patriots loss.
The Week 1 matchup was the first 3-interception game of Maye’s career. He had just one multi-interception performance last season. That also came against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Vrabel Stresses ‘Reckless’ Offense Cost Patriots in Week 1
Vrabel expressed a lot of confidence in his still young quarterback throughout his press conference Wednesday night. To be clear, he didn’t throw the signal-caller under the bus.
One of the big differences Wednesday versus the Super Bowl was Maye’s legs. His 47 rushing yards on just seven carries helped the Patriots get their third quarter lead.
Vrabel, though, also used the word “reckless” again to emphasize what went wrong on the final drive.
“We’re trying to be aggressive and obviously, win the football game. But not reckless,” said Vrabel.
“Again, you don’t get any do-overs, but we’ll have to learn from it and stick together. It’s never just about one guy.”
The Patriots will regroup after their flight home across the United States and then prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers. New England will host Pittsburgh in its home opener on September 20.
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Fires Blunt Message on Costly Drake Maye INT in Seahawks Loss