- The Patriots’ 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seahawks was straight-forward to me: They win the game with better decision-making from QB Drake Maye. There were a lot of positives in review, but when the player who has the ball in his hands every offensive play isn’t buttoned-up in that critical area, it overrules everything else.
- Plenty of discussion if the Patriots’ offensive plan was too conservative. Reasonable people can disagree. I viewed it as intelligent because the one thing the Patriots had to do to win was not lose control of the line of scrimmage. They stood firm in a challenging road environment against a very good defense, which they were gashing on the ground on the final drive. Wore them down. Time of possession edge – 34:17 to 25:43. Total play edge – 71 to 50. More than anything, they needed the QB to deliver on his end of the bargain when it comes to decision-making.
- Likewise, an interesting discussion if Mike Vrabel erred by not playing starters in the preseason. In one respect, the Patriots having no penalties in the first half and being sound operationally overall (one false start, no major alignment issues etc.) is a strong argument they didn’t need the game reps. In another respect, Maye’s trademark accuracy wasn’t there consistently (he looked like hadn’t played since Feb. 8 at times) and there were more missed tackles (e.g. Craig Woodson on the TD, Robert Spillane over-running some wide-zone runs) than you’d expect to see from a New England D. Would that have been different with preseason game reps? Hard to say for sure. Overall, I lean toward playing in the preseason. That might be because of all those years I heard Bill Belichick say something along the lines of, “The only way to get football players ready for football season is to play football.”
- WR Romeo Doubs’ dropped pass in the fourth quarter was a dagger, preceding Maye’s second interception. He was wide open. Coaches who scouted Doubs coming out of Nevada in 2022 had drops as an issue, which Doubs cleaned up a bit in Green Bay. Dane Brugler, draft analyst for The Athletic, wrote in 2022: “Will have some double-catches, and needs to be more consistent tracking the ball into hand.” What made it sting even more Wednesday is that the player Doubs essentially replaced, Stefon Diggs, had an 83% catch rate last season (second highest all time for a receiver with 100-plus targets). So how Doubs bounces back, along with Maye, are among the top storylines heading into Week 2 against the Steelers.
- My biggest nitpick for Vrabel is not giving Marcus Jones a chance to return a punt at the end of the second quarter after a defensive stop at the Seattle 22-yard line and 17 second left. Instead, he elected to go into the locker room with a 7-0 lead, knowing the team was getting the ball to start the second half. In the latest edition of the “Forged in Foxboro” series, there is a clip in the team meeting room in which Vrabel stands in front of the team and asks players what is exciting about the punt return unit. Left tackle Will Campbell responds it’s having Marcus Jones, one of the most electrifying returners in the game. Vrabel applauded the response. But when it came time to give Jones a chance in the opener, Vrabel punted in a show of respect to excellent Seahawks punter Michael Dickson. I wonder if Vrabel and VP of Game Operations/Strategy John Streicher would like that one back.
- The Patriots opened the game in a three-safety defense, with Dell Pettus as the No. 3 option. I thought the Seahawks attacked Pettus (missed tackle, 1Q/6:22) with success at times (e.g. sucked up by play-action, 3Q/11:44, completion for 13 yards) — and the amount of time spent in the 3-safety defense is a newer wrinkle in 2026. It adds another layer of context to the team seeing value in acquiring safety Jaylen Reed in the deal that sent WR Kayshon Boutte to Houston. A couple things I have on my mind this week – how secure is Pettus’ hold on the No. 3 spot, and how much has the addition of Kevin Byard III shifted what they are asking of fellow safety Craig Woodson (who had a couple uncharacteristic hiccups).
- This is probably too simplistic because defenses need to mix up their coverages and calls, but on got-to-have-it plays I want my best players on the opponent’s best players. So the fourth-and-1 play that Jaxon Smith-Njigba took 45 yards for a TD, it feels like overthinking it not to have CB Christian Gonzalez assigned to him – whether you’re selling out on the run or not.
- Heck of a debut for rookie linebacker Namdi Obiazor (sixth round, TCU) on special teams. He set a tone with a strong tackle on the opening kickoff and then did it again after the third-quarter field goal. The 212th overall pick in the NFL Draft led the Patriots with three special teams tackles.
- Silver linings: OLB Gabe Jacas (second round, Illinois) not looking out of place in 19 defensive snaps (first career sack, benefitting from coverage) after a shaky-at-times preseason … Veteran OLB Dre’Mont Jones totaling 4 QB hits, generally setting a solid edge (out-leveraged once at 1Q/1:22 on 12-yard run), and getting rewarded with a “coverage sack” by keeping his motor hot … Throwing out of the power look at the 2-yard line with nine players at the line of scrimmage and springing TE Eli Raridon wide open for the easy TD … CB Charles Woods with a strong tackle in space on the kickoff coverage unit … Drake Maye as a runner when nothing was there in the passing game … Almost everything about CB Christian Gonzalez, whose coverage looked tight as this could have been an A-plus game if he catches the INT.
- Not-so silver linings: Almost having a punt blocked on the play LB Chazz Surratt came in free and was penalized for roughing the kicker, and later calling a timeout to sort out the Seahawks’ all-out pressure look on the punt unit … TE Eli Raridon with some challenges as a run-blocker and perhaps needing to do a little more to sell a TE screen on the final drive when G Alijah Vera-Tucker was penalized for illegally being downfield … LT Will Campbell and Vera-Tucker beaten on a stunt on the final drive two plays before the game-ending INT … Other breakdowns in pass protection for Vera-Tucker (2Q/2:00; 3Q/14:18; 4Q/5:22), who was knocking off some rust … Giving up a 21-yard completion on third-and-22 (safety Craig Woodson closest to the play on a four-man rush call) … need a better finish overall.
- One thing I expect to hear Mike Vrabel say this week: Need to do a better job finishing longer than the opponent in the running game, first at tight end and then the offensive line (specifically the right side). That’s a staple of the team identity Vrabel covets and I saw multiple blocks from Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon where I wrote down in my notes, “If they just hold the block a little longer, there might be more there.” At the same time, the other side gets paid, too.
- Looking ahead to the Steelers, they host the Falcons (down to their third QB already) on Sunday and the Patriots will have advance scout Sam Fioroni in Pittsburgh today to write up a report for coaches. One big-picture point: Acknowledging I’m not close enough to Pittsburgh to have an informed opinion on what is unfolding with CB Joey Porter Jr., I generally note the contrast between what is happening there (Porter not playing and in a contract impasse) and how the Patriots and CB Christian Gonzalez ultimately came to an agreement. I thought Gonzalez’ negotiating team had a notable strategy of using the start of the season as a leverage point, and the Patriots held a hard edge with the full guarantee at signing, which contributed to taking things down to the wire. In the end, both sides compromised, they got the deal done, and they move forward with no hard feelings. That’s business.