SANTA CLARA — Drake Maye’s first Super Bowl wasn’t the stuff of dreams.
The Patriots’ second-year quarterback, battling a sore shoulder in Super Bowl 60, endured punishment from Seattle’s defense as he struggled to complete passes to open receivers.
His performance wasn’t good enough for the Patriots to win Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, as the Seahawks held New England scoreless until the fourth quarter and dominated the Pats’ offense in a 29-13 victory.
No one knew better than Maye how wide the gap was between the two teams in Santa Clara. And the 23-year-old felt guilty about his three goals in the second half that helped Seattle pull away after leading 9-0 at halftime.
But he could do nothing but face disappointment. And he did, with a sense of missed opportunities written on his youthful face.
“Those are the plays that you can change the story of the game,” Maye said, “and if you do it, you celebrate. If you don’t, you’re sitting here, crying on the stage. That’s part of it. And I know the postseason is what you play for, and I know we’re going to come back. That’s how you play your game.”
Maye found himself on the wrong end of several game-changing plays in the final two quarters. His fumble in Patriots territory late in the third was recovered by Byron Murphy at the New England 37-yard line.
Five plays later, Seattle scored its first touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Sam Darnold to AJ Barner and took a 19-0 lead.
The Seahawks’ long-awaited victory in the end zone felt like the end for the Pats. But Maye responded by leading New England down the field in three quick plays, hitting Mack Hollins for 35 yards and just 57 seconds off the clock.
However, it was another gain by Maye that turned the momentum back towards the Seahawks. With 8:49 to play, Maye raised the wing and prayed for a deep ball right in the middle of the field, where Julian Love waited patiently and got a proper rejection.
Love then returned the ball to the plus-38, where six plays later, Jason Myers put Seattle up 22-7 with a 26-yard field goal, his fifth of the game.
“You live, you learn, and to lose, it hurts,” Maye said. “You try to learn when you win, and you try to remember this feeling when you lose. And I know there are many things you wish you had, but it’s a way to make you stronger in the end.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel tried to blame Maye after the game, saying the team’s offense was a collective effort.
“Guys, we can sit here and try to pin it down on one guy. You will be disappointed because that will not happen,” said Vrabel. “It starts with us as a coaching staff and making sure that we do our part. And then obviously we have to be able to perform, we have to be able to protect. And when we defend, we have to be able to get forward and throw the ball to the open man and help the defender. And then he should be better. It just happened that way.”
Perhaps the most troubling game for Maye is her last coin. With the Patriots clinging to their last gasps, Maye drove New England to Seattle’s 44-yard line with 4:37 to play.
But Maye was pressured by Devon Witherspoon and forced a short pass into the hands of Uchenna Nwosu, who ran 45 meters for the Patriots to reach the end zone.
Down 29-7 with less than five minutes remaining, Maye’s first Super Bowl was sealed.
“There are games that I will be thinking about in the next seven months until we come back in September and play our first game,” said Maye. “There’s nothing else we can say except to make the plays where they are. And that’s the difference between the teams sitting at home watching tonight, and the difference between us losing tonight and them celebrating.”
