In one sense, they weren’t supposed to be in the Super Bowl. Everybody recognized that.
At the same time ... the Patriots were in the Super Bowl and thus had an opportunity to make some improbable history and get a taste for what it’s like to parade through the snowy streets of Boston in February. Between the breaks in the schedule, the good health across the roster and the significant vibe shift within the building, the entire season felt like a big of a magical ride. Alas, it all ended with a crash landing in Santa Clara.
A championship ending was not meant to be. And with the confetti settled following the Seahawks’ 29-13 thumping of Mike Vrabel’s team, it’s time to take a long look at the good, the bad, and the downright ugly from that 60-minute affair while also looking at the season in totality and projecting what it all means going forward.
• We are, as ever, a quarterback-obsessed nation. So it feels mandatory to start with Drake Maye. To put it as bluntly as possible, Maye played his worst game as a professional on the biggest stage of his life.
That is unfortunate.
Outside of the unbelievable 24-yard completion to Mack Hollins (in the midst of five defenders) and the on-the-money touchdown pass that followed on the next snap, Maye was inaccurate throughout the night. He completed just eightpasses through the first three quarters of the game, and while pressure no doubt contributed to some of his issues, there’s no denying that he simply wasn’t the same passer that we’ve watched all year long.
Take this third-and-4 late in the third quarter, for example. While Will Campbell and Jared Wilson – we'll get to them later – did roll out a red carpet for Devon Witherspoon to pressure the quarterback, it was still a simple pitch-and-catch situation for Maye and Kayshon Boutte. Maye sensed impending pressure, slid to his right, waited for Boutte to break on his slant, and then ... fired a rocket that was too far ahead of his receiver.
There’s no reason for this to be an incompletion. pic.twitter.com/B8DkorAr3i— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) February 9, 2026
Boutte did get a hand on it, thus making it look like he was at fault for the incompletion. But the reality is that ball was past Boutte by the time he was able to make the desperation lunge.
That was largely the story of the night for Maye. Add in that his feel in the pocket remained off, that he quite frankly did not run enough, and that he was done no favors by his offensive line, and you’ve got the recipe for the whole football world pointing and laughing at the MVP runner-up.
To that, I’d offer this: While most quarterbacks his age are preparing to face Northwestern or Kentucky, Drake Maye was suiting up against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Maye is a week younger than Trinidad Chambliss, the Ole Miss quarterback who's currently fighting the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility. He's a couple of months older than Carson Beck, who crumbled in the National Championship Game last month. If the Patriots are ahead of schedule as a team, Maye is the embodiment of that situation.
Maye was the second-youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Dan Marino was the youngest in 1984, and he lost via blowout, throwing two picks while taking four sacks and posting a 66.9 rating. Ben Roethlisberger was the third-youngest Super Bowl starting QB in 2005, and he “led” the Steelers to a victory with nine completions against Seattle. Brock Purdy, the fourth-youngest, played OK vs. Kansas City but lost in overtime. Miami’s David Woodley was the fifth-youngest, and he completed just four passes in a 10-point loss to Washington. Jared Goff was the sixth-youngest, and he was quite bad vs. the Patriots in 2018, throwing a pick on what could have been a game-tying fourth-quarter drive. Even the great Patrick Mahomes was so-so in his Super Bowl debut, going 26-for-42 for 286 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs when he beat the Niners. Heck, for all of Tom Brady’s fourth-quarter heroics in Super Bowl XXXVI, he was just 10-for-19 for 92 yards and a touchdown before setting up the game-winning field goal in the final minutes.
All of that is to say that playing quarterback in the Super Bowl is difficult. Doubly or triply so for young quarterbacks.
So sure, given the spotlight and stage of this game, people are sure to sling their arrows. That is how it works. But if you’ve seen Maye play great football – and we absolutely have – then you’re more likely to recognize this entire postseason as a learning experience for a 23-year-old who accomplished a whole lot this year without an elite supporting cast.
• I also think it’s fair (and necessary) to raise an eyebrow or two when assessing Josh McDaniels’ work in this game. The entire offensive unit looked overwhelmed and unprepared for what Seattle’s defense was doing. And once the Seahawks landed their initial punches (blitzing Devon Witherspoon off Campbell's side to force a throwaway on third down on the Patriots’ opening possession, then blitzing Witherspoon off Morgan Moses' side for a third-down sack on New England’s second possession), the Patriots’ offense played like a rattled group.
When the Seahawks did blitz from the secondary, nobody ran hot routes to give Maye an easy release, with the quarterback often stuck staring at the backs of his receivers running longer-developing routes up the field. The team also abandoned the run, which allowed Seattle's defense to play unfettered on the back and front ends against Maye and Co.
And there appeared to have been a bit of panic. After the Patriots cut the lead to 19-7 early in the fourth quarter, their defense forced a punt on the ensuing Seattle drive, giving New England a chance to make it a one-score game with plenty of time left. Yet instead of trying to operate a normal drive of offense, the Patriots went into desperation mode. It felt similar to the final drive of Super Bowl XLII, when the undefeated Patriots had three timeouts and only needed a field goal to tie the game and force overtime, but McDaniels called four unsuccessful home-run plays.
On this one, Maye chucked a deep shot to Hollins that should have been intercepted on a first-and-10. Four plays later, on a second-and-3 near midfield, Maye threw a desperation heave to the middle of the field toward Kyle Williams. The receiver continued his route past safety Julian Love, who stepped in front of Williams and made one of the easiest interceptions he’ll ever make.
A game that had suddenly gotten competitive was once again over.
It's fair to say McDaniels did not have a strong game plan because, at times, it appeared questionable if there was a game plan at all. It’s always unfair to put too much blame on coaching when a team gets physically overwhelmed by an opponent, but for an underdog to pull off a victory, it often needs to lean on a coach who’s operating on a higher plane.
NFL Assistant Coach of the Year Josh McDaniels was in an ideal spot to be that coach for the Patriots in this game, but he just didn’t do it.
• The next target that seemingly everybody wants to blame for everything going wrong is Will Campbell.On the one hand, sure, he played his worst game, and that happened to be in the Super Bowl. That’s always going to generate strong reactions. At the same time, there’s undoubtedly a predisposition by many to immediately jump to certain conclusions based on pre-draft assumptions and criticisms.
The loudest chorus after a very rough performance by Campbell states that he should be moved to guard. While that may or may not be a valid conversation at some point, I feel it’s important to state that the way Campbell played on Sunday night would have been equally disastrous at guard as it was at tackle. I'd point to the play of the actual left guard as evidence that the position still requires more strength than Campbell and his fellow rookie Wilson put on display vs. Seattle.
Generally speaking, Campbell's struggles in this game weren’t due to his arm length. Much like his quarterback, he looked to be suffering from a lack of confidence, and it hurt his technique. If it was only an issue of size and strength, then Campbell wouldn’t have been able to play the position at a decent – not great, but decent – level all year long.
Jermaine Eluemunor and Terron Armstead, who have 266 games of NFL experience at tackle between them, offered some measured assessments of Campbell’s struggles:
Honestly the whole “Arm Length” convo is so stupid. Is it nice to have long arms at tackle? sure, but in order to succeed at tackle in the NFL you need a find your set. When I first became a starter I tried to mimic all the great one’s sets and copy them. It wasn’t until I got to…— Jermaine Eluemunor (@JEluemunor) February 9, 2026
Will Campbell’s issues are fixable!! He’s trying to block the best players in the world without a solid foundation. His feet are constantly moving backwards before contact on 90% of these reps! Damn near impossible to anchor against power if your feet are not in the ground!!!… https://t.co/jOjnuNFWpH— T. Stead 🎤🎧 (@T_Armstead72) February 9, 2026
Mitchell Schwartz, who has a First Team All-Pro and three Second Team All-Pros on his resume, also offered his extensive analysis on social media.
None of that is meant to excuse the bad performance against the Seahawks. But long-term, the Patriots are most likely to continue the development of their No. 4 overall pick as a tackle. The Super Bowl provided an indication that there’s quite a bit of room for improvement.
• Mike Vrabel did a masterful job this season. Period. Still, there were two spots in this game that looked like decisions made by a risk-averse head coach.
The first: Midway through the third quarter, after the Seahawks stretched their lead to 12-0 and after Maye threw short to an open Pop Douglason a third-and-1 crosser, Vrabel sent out the punting unit on a fourth-and-1 at the New England 41-yard line.
The Patriots won 14 games this season by being aggressive and successful on fourth downs, converting 72 percent of their 25 fourth-down attempts, the second-best rate in the league. They were bold with it, too. Remember when Vrabel kept his offense on the field on fourth-and-1 from their own 15-yard line against Pittsburgh in Week 3? And it worked? On a toss play? This year's Patriots were never afraid to play with reckless abandon.
And on a night when the Patriots clearly needed to push their luck at least a little bit to come back, a punt on fourth-and-1 near midfield felt like a whiff by Vrabel. (McDaniels opting for a downfield pass on third-and-1 instead of leaning on a QB sneak or Rhamondre Stevenson on third down might not have helped the situation, too.)
The other head-scratcher from Vrabel came after the Patriots finally scored a touchdown. With just 12:33 left to play, going for two and cutting Seattle's lead to 19-8 seemed like the obvious move, as it would require just two scores to tie the game. Yet Vrabel opted for the PAT, making the score 19-7, thus requiring two touchdowns for the Patriots to overtake Seattle.
The difference between being down 12 or 13 was negligible (both deficits could still be matched or topped with two touchdowns, even if the Seahawks tacked on another field goal to make it 15 or 16), whereas the benefit of just needing a field goal after a touchdown and two-point conversion would have been significant.
Ultimately, it ended up being moot. But it was a bit strange in the moment.
• The biggest “What If?” in this game came on the third snap. Marcus Jones jumped an AJ Barner route and put himself in position for a pick-six that would have flipped the game on its head right from the jump. It was a worthwhile act of aggression, and the only way it wouldn’t have worked is if Sam Darnoldthrew an absolute laser beam on the money into his receiver’s hand.
Lo and behold, Sam Darnold did that:
Darnold’s risky pass turns into a first down! Super Bowl LX on NBC Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/NKUCvtG8LT— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2026
Darnold didn’t do a ton to carry the Seahawks, but his first pass of the night might have been his best. If Jones picks it off and takes it to the house ... well, who’s to say what exactly that does to the game? But if it rattled Darnold and forced the Seahawks to pass more instead of relying on eventual game MVP Kenneth Walker, and if it gave the Patriots a bit of leeway to run their offense with a bit more looseness and comfort, and if, if, if, if. That was a big one.
• This isn’t necessarily an X’s and O’s breakdown, but I have simply got to know why Kyle Williams felt compelled to chase down the “streaker” on the field.
Kyle Williams nearly got em pic.twitter.com/oTndSUtie4— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 9, 2026
He must have just felt compelled to get the blood pumping.
• It wasn’t all bad for the Patriots, as Christian Gonzalez had a diamond-level performance in the biggest game of his career. The leaping play he made to break up a deep pass to Rashid Shaheedwas absolutely incredible.
How good is Christian Gonzalez?pic.twitter.com/YPMBA6h2DK— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 9, 2026
And his recovery to close on Jaxon Smith-Njigbafor another PBU – this one preventing a touchdown – was elite.
Crazy that JSN had a quiet game and still might have had 150 and two touchdowns with a little bit better luck. He gets open here versus Christian Gonzalez on the post, but the throw lets Gonzalez back into the play and break the pass up to save a TD. pic.twitter.com/XMYkpCnMG8— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 9, 2026
Overall, Gonzalez delivered a postseason performance that cements him as one of the very best cornerbacks in football. He’s now eligible to get that contract extension, and the Patriots shouldn’t think twice about offering it.
• Everybody feels good about what the Patriots accomplished this year, and most everyone believes a Super Bowl trip was certainly ahead of schedule.It stands to reason, then, that continued success and growth is to be expected in Year 2 and beyond for Mike Vrabel. Even if the Patriots don’t win 14 games next season due to their first-place schedule (and their more difficult matchups with the AFC West and NFC North instead of the AFC North and NFC Soutth), it’s fair to believe that the multi-year rebuild of the roster from the back-to-back four-win seasons will continue to progress next season.
Again, that’s fair to assume. But the reality for Super Bowl losers has been rocky.
In the quarter-century since Y2K was miraculously solved, just over half of teams (13 of 25) reached the playoffs a year after losing the Super Bowl. Of those 13 teams, only eight won a playoff game, and exactly one made the Super Bowl again the following year. (That was the 2018 New England Patriots, if you’re keeping score at home. They were the first team to make it back to the Super Bowl after losing since the Bills' epic run in the early '90s.)
The average record for a team after losing the Super Bowl since the 2000 season is 9-7.
As already stated, the Patriots are due for a bit of a market correction, because it's a lock that they won't face opponents with a .391 winning percentage next season. They may not have the same injury luck, too.
The challenge for Vrabel will be to make this loss matter. For a team with a record number of postseason snaps by rookies and a team that absolutely maxed out its potential in 2025, the head coach and front office have to push the operation forward almost as if this Super Bowl run didn’t ever happen.
It may seem absurd to use the word “rebuild” for a team that won its conference, but that was what 2025 was supposed to be about. More than two-dozen players – including all of the team captains -- were sent out of Foxboro. A half-dozen rookies earned significant roles, and a dozen free-agent signings were key players on both sides of the ball.
They obviously won’t have to reload the roster to that degree this coming spring, but there’s still a need for improvement and a desperate need to build depth.
Plenty of pieces are in place for the Patriots to be on the more fortunate end of Super Bowl-losing teams staying above water, so a drastic decline that leads to missing the postseason altogether next year shouldn’t be expected. Yet work is needed, and as Bill Belichick loved to note after his team played in the Super Bowl, the Patriots are “five weeks behind” the rest of the league when it comes to building for next year and beyond. That work begins now.
