Seven months after a conclusive Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots were on a revenge path in their Week 1 rematch. While they only boasted a 7-0 halftime lead, opposing quarterback Sam Darnold had been ruled out for the rest of the game, and their defense was stifling backup quarterback Drew Lock at the time.
What followed was a complete collapse in the second half, leaving many analysts and former players with a bad taste in their mouths, including former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton.
Cam Newton Shares His Thoughts on the Patriots’ Tough Week 1 Loss
Speaking on his podcast, “4th&1 With Cam Newton,” he said, “New England was leading 10 to nothing at one point of the game, and that type of lead typically gives people guaranteed wins.”
“You love what you see out of Drew Lock,” Newton added. “I don’t think the offense was at a deficit. He didn’t make any bad decisions. He gave guys opportunities.”
“So you know, with all that being said, I think the Patriots have been exposed,” he continued. “But this is the plus about that, though, too. It’s only one team that has exposed them, and it’s the Seattle Seahawks.”
Newton makes a noteworthy point about momentum.
When one team’s offense can’t get anything going, it’s difficult for the other squad not to get overconfident, especially when the opponent loses their Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Darnold.
That’s exactly what seemed to occur for the Patriots.
Their coverage stopped being so tight, allowing Lock to throw into open windows and get into a consistent rhythm, which he’d failed to do in the first half.
He led a field-goal drive; then, all the momentum shifted during a fourth-and-1 for the Seahawks offense.
While appearing in a heavy personnel package, Lock baited the defense into sending pressure, then connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who took a short curl route for a 45-yard touchdown.
Seattle’s defense would turn it up in the second half as well, ultimately forcing Drake Maye to finish with 178 yards and one touchdown to three interceptions. His subpar performance would grant him a grade of 79.5 on PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
While much of the blame can be put on Maye, it certainly didn’t help that star receiver A.J. Brown exited the game with a high-ankle sprain at the start of the third quarter.
Additionally, New England couldn’t run the ball against Seattle at all.
Maye, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Corey Kiner combined for 109 yards on 31 carries, averaging just 3.5 yards per attempt.
They’ll have to make plenty of adjustments to prove they weren’t exposed when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Gillette Stadium on Sunday, September 20, at 1:00 p.m. ET.
