The Patriots led 10-3 entering the fourth quarter of their Super Bowl rematch with Seattle. New England quarterback Drake Maye proceeded to throw three fourth-quarter interceptions. The final one was a heave to the end zone, on third down with 0:26 left on the clock, when the Patriots could have tied the game with a field goal on 4th down. Instead, Maye launched a ball seemingly meant for Mack Hollins, and Seattle’s Josh Jobe picked it off to end the game.
“Decision-making, and again, when you are the quarterback or you have the ball in your hand, I think those things just get magnified and those decisions and the timings and all those other things,” Vrabel said. “We’ve seen Drake Maye perform at an extremely high level, and I anticipate him continuing to do that and doing that as we move forward.”
Vrabel supported his third-year quarterback Drake Maye, who only threw multiple interceptions in one game last season — the Super Bowl against the Seahawks.
Other Patriots players struggled alongside Maye. Wide receiver Romeo Doubs had an underwhelming opening showing as a Patriot, finishing with zero receptions on three targets.
Mike Vrabel was asked if he still feels joint practice reps were enough for his starters, who did not play in any preseason games.
“I do, I do,” Vrabel affirmed. “Playing the backups for the Eagles or the Colts for eight plays, I don’t think was going to prepare us for what we saw last night. I thought we handled the environment; I thought we did. I know the execution wasn’t good enough, but the line of scrimmage, the penalties, the operation, those things gave us a chance. Some other things didn’t give us a chance.”
The Patriots’ chances were significantly affected when receiver A.J. Brown went down with an injury early in the third quarter. Brown was writhing in pain, holding his right ankle after laying out for a pass and taking contact from a Seattle defender on the way to the ground. He did not return after sustaining that injury.
Multiple reports Thursday stated Brown suffered a high ankle sprain. Vrabel declined to confirm that.
“No, I don’t think that A.J. will be — running more tests, but we’ll update you here next week,” Vrabel said. " Wasn’t able to finish the game. We’ll continue to evaluate, continue to run tests, but I don’t know if he’ll be available going forward here for next week, but we’ll see. I know he’ll do everything that he can to get back as quickly as possible and once we get the reports, we’ll figure out what the treatment plan is. "
The Patriots’ next game is the home opener, set for Sunday, September 20 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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