“Overrated and Overhyped” – Drake Maye’s Awful Outing Against Seahawks in 2026 Season Opener Has Fans Talking

Drake Maye threw 3 interceptions as the Patriots suffer an opening day defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.

“Overrated and Overhyped” – Drake Maye’s Awful Outing Against Seahawks in 2026 Season Opener Has Fans Talking

Drake Maye (Image via IMAGO)

The horrors of Super Bowl 60 returned when Drake Maye and the New England Patriots faced off against the Seattle Seahawks on opening day of the 2026 NFL season. Maye threw 3 interceptions in a 13-10 defeat against the reigning world champions.

Seattle started as the 3-point favorites at home against a team they had dominated back in February. In that fixture, Maye completed a little more than 55% of his passes for 295 yards, threw a couple of touchdowns, and turned the ball over twice. The Seahawks defense also brought him down six times in four quarters. He also fumbled and lost the ball once.

In Wednesday’s opener, Maye went 23 of 33 for 178 yards (5.4 yards per attempt) and threw a touchdown pass. He also threw 3 interceptions, including one on the final Patriots drive. He was also sacked three times by the Seahawks’ pass rush.

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Fans react to Drake Maye’s underwhelming performance against the Seahawks

Maye benefited from playing a favorable regular-season schedule in 2025. But he struggled in the postseason. In four starts (including the Super Bowl), Maye completed below 60% of his passes for 828 yards and conceded four interceptions (two in the final).

Overrated and Overhyped - Drake Maye's Awful Outing Against Seahawks in 2026 Season Opener Has Fans Talking
Drake Maye (Image via IMAGO)

Even though experts raved about his mobility, Maye ate an NFL playoff record 21 sacks and gave up 133 yards. He further fumbled the ball 7 times and lost it on four occasions (both NFL records).

The Patriots won three games in the playoffs, but it was quite apparent that teams had figured him out or at least devised contingencies to limit his passing ability.

Seattle went after Maye from the start at Lumen Field. Despite that, Maye broke the deadlock in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to rookie Eli Raridon. New England added three more points after the halftime break.

As the game progressed, Maye started to make mistakes. With AJ Brown leaving the field with an ankle issue, Maye relied more on Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

Maye threw a pick while trying to connect with Doubs. The former Packer then failed to haul in a touchdown and was only saved by DPI (defensive pass interference) from Seattle’s DB.

Maye’s threw his second turnover when he tried to connect with Douglas in midfield. Seattle safety Julian Love read Maye’s pass perfectly.

As the clock ticked closer to the twenty-second mark in the final quarter, and under duress, Maye got rid of the ball, and the pass entered the Seahawks’ end zone. But before a New England receiver could make the catch, it was intercepted by Josh Jobe.

Maye took responsibility for his performance after the game.

“It was just unacceptable. We can send it to OT at the worst, and the worst thing you can do is turn the ball over,” Maye said.

The Patriots trailed the Seahawks by three points after Drew Lock, who replaced Sam Darnold in the first quarter, threw a TD pass to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Kicker Jason Meyers continued his hot streak with an accurate field goal.

As Maye noted, he had the chance to send the game into OT with a three-point try, but the turnover on the final drive killed the Patriots’ momentum.

The fixtures will only get tougher from here on out. Next, the Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills—three teams that were part of last season’s playoffs. As for Seattle, their next three games are against the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, and the Los Angeles Chargers.

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