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SANTA CLARA, CA – The Patriots magical season came to a screeching halt in a 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. The story of the game was once again the offensive line which gave up 6 sacks and looked overmatched against a talented and stout Seahawks defensive line.
Drake Maye struggled mightily throwing two costly interceptions and fumbling another ball. The lack of a running game did not help him and put even more pressure on him to execute in the passing game.
Defensively, the Patriots played well enough to keep it close but they ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and gave up a 16 yard touchdown pass to AJ Barner that put the game away for all intents and purposes.
A Maye to Mack Hollins touchdown pass got the Patriots to within 19-7 early in the fourth quarter but a Uchenna Nwosu fumble recovery for a touchdown dashed all comeback hopes.
Here are seven thoughts on the Patriots loss.
1. Offensive line was bad: We said coming into this game that it was going to be won along the offensive and defensive lines. It was. Seattle’s front seven including their defensive backs when they blitzed were the story. The Patriots offensive line was overwhelmed and it did not seem like offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had many answers when it came to combatting what they did.
Collectively, the offensive line gave up 6 sacks, which brings their post season total to 21. Will Campbell alone gave up 14 pressures. A season high in the NFL. He struggled mightily but it is not all on him, Jared Wilson also had a bad night.
We knew Seattle’s defense was good but after last night, they weren’t just good. They were elite. The Patriots offensive line was no match.
2. Maye’s Day: Forget about the stats. Maye was not good. He got sacked 6 times and was hit a lot but he also missed several throws and looked skittish in the pocket. He was off and admitted after the game that he had an injection to his right shoulder, which means his injury was worse than we thought. Maye has a bright future and has franchise quarterback potential but he took a step back from his MVP caliber season this post season.
3. Awful offensive game plan: I am a big fan of Josh McDaniels but his game plan made no sense to me. Early on he tried to run the football and it was working but decided to abandon the run trailing 6-0. He started throwing the ball more when he couldn’t protect his quarterback and there was no creativity in the plan.
Add to that they didn’t adjust well in the second half and you can see why Seattle’s defense looked like 2000 Ravens. McDaniels had his worst game plan of the season and he called his worst game in a long time.
4. Receivers struggle: The wide receivers struggled. None of them could get open and it was a problem. Seattle’s secondary dominated them. Mack Hollins was the only receiver who did get open and he led the way with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. The rest of this receiving group had a night to forget. Stefon Diggs caught 3 passes for 37 yards. That’s it. Add wide receiver as a top need to the growing list of needs for this football team this off-season.
5. Defense gives you a chance: The Patriots defense gave them a chance in this game. They bent but didn’t break in the red zone for most of the night and gave the Patriots the opportunity to compete. The offense did not do their part. Seahawks tight end A.J Barner scored a touchdown the fourth quarter but outside of that, the only gripe I had with the defense was their inability to stop Kenneth Walker and the Seahawks running game. Walker rushed for 135 yards and was the game’s MVP.
6. Young players learn valuable lesson: Losing sucks but the young players on this roster, namely Maye and Campbell will take away some valuable lessons from this loss. It is experience you cannot get otherwise. The hope is, they learn from it and work to get better. The Patriots are not sneaking up on anyone next season. With a tougher schedule, regression is almost guaranteed. The young players on the roster must take meaningful steps in terms of their development.
7. Great season but finishing second stinks: The Patriots took us for one hell of a ride but it did not end the way anyone wanted it to. It was a missed opportunity. Seattle was the better team and quite frankly, they were better than we thought. In the end however, losing in the Super Bowl sucks and there is no guarantee you can get back. Regardless of what the Seahawks were from a talent standpoint, this loss is a missed opportunity and it stings.