New England held Seattle to 13 points and lost. Drake Maye's arm gave it back.
That's the read on a 13-10 Seahawks win, and the 10 is the part that needs explaining. Maye finished 23-of-33 for 178 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, three sacks taken for 10 yards, a 56.4 QBR and a 54.9 rating. That works out to 5.4 yards per attempt, a number that describes an offense not threatening anyone downfield.
The last interception was the game. With 26 seconds left, Maye's deep right pass intended for Mack Hollins was picked by J.Jobe at the Seattle 3-yard line and ruled a touchback. Down three points, that was New England's final possession. Hollins, who led the Patriots with 51 yards on four catches, was the target.
The run game didn't cover for it. Rhamondre Stevenson carried 18 times for 51 yards, 2.8 a carry, and added five catches for 44. Corey Kiner went 6 for 11, 1.8 a carry. New England's most efficient offensive play was Maye on the ground: seven carries, 47 yards, 6.7 per attempt, a long of 16.
The passing distribution was thin in every direction. DeMario Douglas caught five of seven targets for 20 yards, 4.0 a catch. A.J. Brown and Hunter Henry each went 3 for 26. Eli Raridon's only target was a 2-yard touchdown, the one scoring throw Maye completed. Romeo Doubs was targeted three times and caught none.
The defense did its job. Robert Spillane made 8 tackles, 7 of them solo. Craig Woodson had 5 solo stops, Kevin Byard 5 total, Marcus Jones and Christian Elliss 4 each. Holding an opponent to 13 points and losing is a specific kind of waste, and this is what it looks like.
Seattle's side of the box score is thin in its own way. The Seahawks scored 13 and list two passing leaders, Drew Lock and Sam Darnold, plus three rushing leaders: Jadarian Price, George Holani and Lock, who appears in both lists. That's a 13-point offense with no settled center. It won because the game was handed over.
The play log's only other fourth-quarter entry is an official timeout at 5:50, which means the last five-plus minutes produced one decisive event, and it was a giveaway.
Seattle is 1-0 and New England is 0-1. Only one of those records rests on anything repeatable. The Patriots' problem is the most fixable kind a team can have: three interceptions in one game is a decision-making spike, not a roster verdict, and everything around Maye was competent enough to win. Seattle won't get 5.4 yards per attempt and a three-pick afternoon from the opposing quarterback every week, and 13 points is not a margin that holds. If these teams meet again with Maye throwing two interceptions or fewer, New England wins, and probably by more than a field goal. The Seahawks' 1-0 ages worse than the Patriots' 0-1.
