Protecting the ball was New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s strength during the 2025 regular season. But after leading New England to the playoffs last year, that strength has become one of his biggest weaknesses, which continued during the 2026 regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
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Maye committed three interceptions, all in the fourth quarter, which ultimately cost the Patriots their Week 1 matchup. As that happened, Chad “Ocho” Johnson gave his assessment and admitted that New England’s loss was on Maye.
“Tonight is on Drake Maye. Tonight’s on Drake Maye,” said Johnson on the Nightcap podcast. “It’s impossible to win with that many turnovers. One turnover, yes. Even though your defense is solid, three turnovers, it just give you no chance to even with this game.”
After Seattle’s quarterback Sam Darnold went down with a hip injury and left the field, the Patriots took a 10-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, Maye and New England failed to capitalize on that lead, as the Seahawks answered with 13 points and sealed the game. Maye’s interceptions, meanwhile, played a key role in the game’s outcome.
Early in the fourth quarter, with the Seahawks still trailing by seven points, New England was driving around Seattle’s 45-yard line when Maye tried to hit Romeo Doubs on a deep fade down the left sideline. The Seahawks were in a Cover 2 look, with safety Rodney Thomas II reading Maye’s throw.
Thomas got over the top of Doubs and tipped the pass, allowing cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett to make the interception. This proved particularly costly because New England was still leading 10-3 and trying to extend its advantage. Seattle turned the takeaway into a 45-yard touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, tying the game at 10.
On New England’s next possession, Maye again tried to push the ball downfield. He attempted a deep throw over the middle intended for DeMario Douglas, but Seahawks safety Julian Love read the play and intercepted it.
This turnover was especially damaging because Seattle had just tied the game. The Seahawks used the short-field opportunity to move into position for Jason Myers’ 26-yard field goal, giving Seattle its first lead at 13-10.
Lastly, with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game, the Patriots eventually reached Seattle’s 16-yard line, putting them comfortably within field-goal range. Instead of taking the field goal and potentially sending the game to overtime, New England went for the touchdown.
On third-and-5, Maye tried to find Mack Hollins in the end zone, but the throw was underthrown. Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe came across and made a toe-tapping interception in the end zone with 21 seconds left, sealing the 13-10 victory.
After the game, Drake Maye admitted that his interceptions were unacceptable.
“We had the game under control. I thought we had a good plan to try to start chipping away and be patient, and I lost patience, and it cost us,” the quarterback told the reporters. “(They were) decisions that cost us the game on my part. I’ve asked myself to be better and realize it’s a long season, but at the same time you can’t have those (plays).
“It was unacceptable … That wasn’t how I play football or how I want to represent my game and playing quarterback for the Patriots.”
At the same time, when Maye was asked about his costly late fourth-quarter interception, the quarterback admitted, “I was trying to get rid of (the ball), realized Mack (Hollins) was back there, and I didn’t put enough on it to get it out. It was just unacceptable. We had a chance to send it to overtime at the worst.”
Maye had a strong 2025 regular season, as the Patriots quarterback recorded only 11 interceptions across 17 games. In the playoffs, however, he recorded 8 interceptions in four games and had started the 2026 season with three more.
In the process, he became just the second quarterback after Baker Mayfield to throw three picks in the fourth quarter of a season opener in the last 25 seasons. So while that was certainly unacceptable from Maye, it also explains why Chad Johnson believes the Patriots’ loss was on Maye.