HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL

Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Q. Just what do you think of the performance in the second half and three interceptions?

MIKE VRABEL: Yeah, we didn't win the football game in the second half. That's really when you have to win these games in this league, is finding a way to make some plays in the second half in critical situations. We didn't do that. We can't turn the ball over and we have to create more turnovers. Again, it's a broken record. We got to have a chance. We have to be great in that situation and the field goal, offense did a great job of battling back in fourth down conversion and putting ourselves in a position. And, again, we want to be aggressive and just not reckless. They did a nice job and made a play. There's a lot of fight in there and a lot of good things and there's going to be a few things that we have to eliminate that get you beat in this league. So, great test. Great challenge. I thought we did some things really well. We got off to a great start. We got some stops defensively. We handled the environment enough. It was unfortunate back there on the punt team and we had maybe one other false start but all in all for the first week on the road here at this place, I thought we handled the environment pretty well.

Q. (On his message to Drake Maye after the game)

MIKE VRABEL: It's such a long season. We're going to hold our head up high and we have nothing but the utmost confidence in him and everybody on this football team and he's going to make a lot of plays for us.

Q. That final drive, he had late in the drive, a couple of fourth down conversions. Is that a case there of just Drake maybe trying to do too much or not throw away hard enough in situations and get the field goal?

MIKE VRABEL: We're trying to be aggressive and obviously win the football game but not reckless. Again, you don't get any do-overs, but we'll have to learn from it and stick together. It's never just about one guy. I think everybody knows that by now.

Q. How's A.J. (Brown) doing?

MIKE VRABEL: I don't have any update yet. Wasn't able to return, obviously.

Q. Mike, up 10-0 with the ball with nine minutes left in the third, do you think if you would have ended up in possession with a kick, you guys were in a good spot at that time?

MIKE VRABEL: I think you're just trying to, if we could kick it we would have gotten in position. Just I think that that's probably fair to say. I just don't know if you're going to be able to end every possession in a kick. If you did that in ten possessions, you have 30 points. I don't know how realistic that is for the entire game. You mean like being able to punt the football? I don't know, we're going to have to score, but I felt like our defense responded. You can't throw three interceptions. Drake (Maye) knows that. We put ourselves in some long yardage situations on the one (yard-line). That was probably forced and I think the guy made a great play on the last one.

Q. Did you look at why at why Smith-Njigba was left so open on so many plays there?

MIKE VRABEL: On the fourth down? We're just sailing out on the run and missed a tackle and, again, if they gain six yards, it's a first down. Just can't gain 50, so. You got to be able to stop him like we did on third down and then be able to get him on the ground if they throw that on fourth down.

Q. What did Seattle do to make it so hard to establish the run?

MIKE VRABEL: They're number two in the league in run defense last year so I'm sure they probably picked up where they left off. I thought we had some decent runs. Again, not necessarily good enough, but I thought we had some positive runs. Had a few negative ones. Thought we protected well enough. I thought we stayed balanced enough to be able to do that and move the pocket a little bit. So, great challenge out here, disappointed but like I said, we never accept losing but we have to embrace being able to move on and improve and we know how long the season is.

Q. We saw one of those Devon Witherspoon blitzes similar to what we saw in the Super Bowl. How did you guys feel like you were able to respond to that throughout the game?

MIKE VRABEL: I thought we picked up the pressure. Got us on a couple of blitz zeros, double-corner cats, probably blitzed more. I don't think we were caught off guard, but, when they bring blitz zero and we're not ready for it, somebody's going to be free. I thought that all in all that we held up okay. We hit one later in the game. We moved the pocket and I think big Mike (Onwenu) got a piece of him blitzing coming through the B-gap and I think we were able to hit one down the field.

Q. Do you think you guys aggressive enough on offense?

MIKE VRABEL: Yeah, we just turned the ball over. We were trying to get the ball down there and make sure we were able to get the field goal off. When we converted the third down, then we wanted to try to score if we could, score a touchdown and that didn't happen.

Q. Didn't have many (explosive) plays tonight and they're built to stop those, but do you feel like Drake was at all trying to force the issue to generate a couple more?

MIKE VRABEL: Third and 16 or 17 or 20 is hard to go into, pretty much a lot of coverage, too much coverage. Probably got to reserve the right to punt in some of those situations.

QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE

Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Q. How would you describe what happened in the second half?

DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, we had the game under control. Thought we had a good plan to start chipping away and be patient and lost patience and it cost us, decisions that cost us the game on my part, on my end. I vow to myself to be better and realize it's a long season but at same time we can't have those. We can't have those. It's unacceptable and I know we got to get back to work. That wasn't how I play football and how I want to represent my game and playing quarterback for the Patriots.

Q. On the final play on the final pass, were you trying to play the ball away there?

DRAKE MAYE: It was something where we had a certain protection on. We were cutting and was trying to get rid of it and realized Mack (Hollins) was back there in the back and didn't put enough on it to get it out and it was just unacceptable. We had a chance to send it (to) overtime at the worst. The only thing you could do is turn the ball over and that's what I did.

Q. Drake, those three picks looked like you were trying real hard to make a play. Was maybe something forced? Do you feel like you forced it?

DRAKE MAYE: Definitely. I just stopped being patient. That was the big thing. We were really good up to the point where I tried to force one down the sideline to Romeo (Doubs). We were patient and dumping it off and trying to move the chains and we avoided a lot of three-and-outs and that was something we try to earn more plays and the explosives will come, so just stopped being patient and made decisions that ended up, like I said, cost us the game.

Q. Drake, did you see something change with A.J. (Brown) there?

DRAKE MAYE: Obviously, a great player. A.J. (Brown), any time the presence in the huddle and the presence that he carries out there, I threw one low to him and should have hit him in the chest, so I got to make a better play and make a better throw for him.

Q. Drake, there were a few passes, the last interception, the throw the A.J., the flea flicker where maybe you didn't get enough air on some of the balls. Was there any sort of reason for that?

DRAKE MAYE: Yeah, the one to A.J., he's wide open. I didn't want to try to overthrow it on the flea flicker. I think other than that, ball placement is key in this league and trying to make sure I put it in the right spot and I didn't.

Q. Drake, everyone's asked about the environment here and how loud it gets. Do you think that factored at all?

DRAKE MAYE: I feel like we did a really good job on the communication. I think the penalties added up a little bit in the second half but from there, I thought we really did a good job on the silent count on the road, those guys up front blocked their butts off. They really battled hard and they were in it until the last play. Like I said, I'm proud of those guys up front, and I know we've got some good football ahead of us.

Q. Asking about Mack as well, when A.J. went down, it seems like Mack really stepped up and made some plays. What was it like to see him make those plays?

DRAKE MAYE: That's what he does. That's Mack Hollins' career, stepping up and being in the right spot and knowing what to do and making big plays. Fourth down (there) was a big play he made. I know these guys are eager to get touches and eager to help this team win. I've got to do my part and I'm the leader and I need to bounce back and get ready to go for next week.

Q. Mike (Vrabel) talked a lot about handling adversity. Have you looked to the group to respond to this early adversity?

DRAKE MAYE: You've got to stick together and that starts with me getting back to work and having the right intention in practice. These guys are here for me. I think they've done a great job in supporting me and have had my back. I've got to earn their trust. I know I have their trust, but I got to keep on putting better football out there. I think it's Week 1 but at the same time, there's a full season ahead but you got to get this going early. We got to start off on the right foot. I know what we had last year, but we got a new season, a new team, and we need to build that.

Q. Are there things you felt you did better when it came to some of those Devon Witherspoon blitzes, relative to the Super Bowl, especially from a pre-snap process?

DRAKE MAYE: You get a better sense for it. They got us in one of the first third downs. From there, I felt like we tried to have a good plan. They're good coaches over there, good players, they had some things where they had some blitzers and we were hot a few times. On the road, it's hard to get in and out of plays that you can get into. There's just plays out there where I can think of some where whether it's a run look or getting out of a run look that put us behind the chains. It's bad football.

Q. Drake, have you had a chance to see A.J. and if you have, how's his spirits and what were your thoughts?

DRAKE MAYE: I haven't had a chance to see him. I know he's dealing with what he's dealing with. For A.J. (Brown), he's going to fight hard to get back and whatever it is, I know he's going to want to get back out there quick. I think he's a competitor and he's going to help this football team for a lot of this year. I'm looking forward to getting to see him and checking out how he's doing. Thanks.

ADDITIONAL PATRIOTS PLAYERS

WR ROMEO DOUBS

(On what he is feeling at the moment) "I mean, it's always disappointing to lose in this league. To my point? I've just got to be better."

(On the belief elsewhere in the locker room that this team has the personnel to move past this defeat) "Absolutely. I 100-percent agree on that. Part of my job as a player is to make this team better, and I'll be better moving forward."

(On his description of the end zone pass thrown near the sideline) "I just wasn't locked in. That's all. I mean, the video speaks for itself. And, like I say, I'll be better moving forward."

(On if A.J. Brown had a message for the team after he was injured) "Yeah, he told us everything was going to be all right. I think he's doing really well."

(On his assessment of his connection with the quarterback) "It's building. I mean, I just put that on my end. I'll just be able to move forward. That had nothing to do with Drake. That was 150 percent me, and I'll be better."

(On how much faith and confidence he has in Drake being able to bounce back) "I have the utmost confidence in him. I know what he can do. I've watched him and what he's done in this league a long time, and, like I said, this doesn't define him. It's just this league, it's always a pendulum in this league. For myself, I'll just be better."

CB CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ

(On what it was like battling Seattle) "That's a good team – great team. It hurts. But it's the beginning of the season. It's the first one and you obviously want to start out on a win, but we went out there and we competed, did what we had to do, made some mistakes, and we'll get in the film room and watch it and move on and be ready for Pittsburgh."

(On how it feels to be the highest paid cornerback in the league) "I'm extremely blessed and thankful. I love this team. I love Boston. I love the city. This is where I want to be, and I'm happy to be here. I'm glad we got it done."

(On what the Seahawks did to mix up formations) "I think the Seahawks do a great job of moving their playmakers around. I'm talking about guys like Jaxon (Smith-Njigba), Shaheed, and Kupp. They do a lot of motions to keep people moving. As a defense that's hard when you never know where a receiver is going to be. Props to them for doing that and making it tough on us. On that touchdown (45 YD run from Smith-Njigba), they caught us in defense. We'll watch film and move on from it."

RB RHAMONDRE STEVENSON

(On how he feels after coming up short) "Yeah, we battled, but battling isn't good enough. We'll go back to the drawing board, look at the film, see what we did well, and see what we need to fix."

(On if he had a chance to see AJ Brown after his injury) "You never want to see one of our guys go out. I haven't had the chance to see him yet, but I definitely will. I'm sending some prayers up for him."

(On how the team lifts up Drake Maye after a tough loss) "It's not on one person at all. This is a team game, we win together and we lose together. I wouldn't pinpoint on one single person in that room. We all have to get better. Back to the drawing board like I said and figure it out."

(On utilizing short passes in the first half) "I wouldn't say that (it was our gameplan). We were just trying to stay above on the down and distance, stay ahead of the chains. I would just say we were trying to get positive plays."

S KEVIN BYARD III

(On his thoughts on the game) "It was a very competitive game. Obviously, two teams that were just in the Super Bowl. Electric game. Electric energy. I think it just came down to turnovers. We didn't get any, and they got three. So their defense did better than us. We finished the game as a team. We needed to go out there and win the game in a hostile environment. Hats off to them. They played phenomenal in the second half."

(On if they let the Seattle Seahawks off the hook) "We just didn't finish. That's how I would phrase it. We didn't finish. Going into this fourth quarter, we knew that this is a really good team. They were going to bounce back. They were going to make some plays. We felt like we made them early. Cooper Kupp made a really good catch down there and was able to force the field goal. Obviously, JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) scored a touchdown, broke a tackle, and made a play. Overall, as a team, we just didn't finish the way we needed to on the road against the Super Bowl champions. There's going to be a lot of things to learn from the film, but I do think that we're not necessarily proud of the result, but we're proud of the effort that we put out here on tape. We'll just get back to the drawing board and get ready for our home opener."

(On what the adjustment was like for them when Sam Darnold left and Drew Lock took over) "The game plan didn't veer off a lot from what we were going to do. We stayed aggressive. I've played against Drew Lock a few times. He's going to go out there and sling it. He has a lot of confidence. I'm pretty sure they had a lot of confidence in him. And he made a lot of plays that helped his team win. I think we contained him for the majority of the game. He made a couple of plays, but outside of that, we just didn't create the turnovers that we needed to create to get our offense some more possessions to try to go out there and win the game."

T WILL CAMPBELL

(On how he thought they handled the noise) "I thought we handled it well. We prepared very hard to come into this atmosphere. We've been working on our silent cadence for a long time leading up to this, and I thought we handled it well. We just came up short tonight."

(On what this game means to him coming off the Super Bowl and if he thinks of it as a bounce back) "I wouldn't say I'm trying to bounce back. For me, it's about showing my teammates, myself, and the coaching staff that I'm a better player than what I put on tape at the Super Bowl. I'm just trying to help my team win in any way I can. Just going out there and doing my job and helping the guys around me make plays."

(On why he thinks he's a better player now than he was at the Super Bowl) "I just think there's a lot of growth. From the Year 1 guy to the Year 2. I really attacked this offseason, and the coaches,  we really honed-in on some things, and we're working on some new stuff. Just trying to excel in every area of my game from last year."

CB CARLTON DAVIS III

(On the positives from the game today against Seattle) "We were winning the game down into the fourth quarter. Just got to finish, man. Moving on, we know that we have a team that can go back. We've just got to execute."

(On what was learned tonight) "That we came back just as good as that team from last year, maybe better. We just have to finish the game."

LB GABE JACAS

(On what his first regular season NFL game felt like) "Feel good. First regular season game as a rookie. I'll never forget this moment, playing in this environment, this crowd. We did what we do on defense, and it was just good to be out there for my first regular season game."

(On his performance today) "Not bad. I mean, there's a lot of stuff I can clean up. First sack, first game. Not too bad, just look at the film when I get back and work on the things I need to work on. You know, just continue to improve as weeks go on."

(On feeling more comfortable week after week) "The preseason definitely helped. Then coming into the game, the preparation that we had, like a week or two to prepare for this game. I was comfortable out there and just playing football."

WR MACK HOLLINS

(On the last interception today) "I don't know what he (Drake Maye) said. I can only control my side and try to break it up. I wasn't able to do that. You can't get them back. You've got to move on and get better."

(On if anything changed when A.J. Brown left the game) "Yeah, he wasn't in the game anymore and we keep playing. I wish life was like that, where you could wait for your guys to come back and be healthy again but, it's NFL football."

T MORGAN MOSES

(On speaking to Romeo Doubs after he was being hard on himself) "He's (Romeo Doubs) the definition of a leader. All of us got some things that we look in the mirror at ourselves and say, 'Hey, we can get better.' Going back to the drawing board. I think Game 1 is always the hardest, because you never know what they're going to throw out there. But you just go play football. You line the football up wherever you line it up, and you go out there and you play football. There's some things that you want to get back that you can't get back, but it's going to make you a better player for the rest of the season."

(On if Mike Vrabel told them that it's Game 1 and there's a lot more football to play) "That's just us as a football team. The one thing to look at is we went out there and battled all 60 minutes. You can hang your hat on that and say that this is a team full of guys that laid it on the line for their brothers. At the end of the day, sometimes talent runs out, but when you can look to the guy and know that he's given all his effort and you can look to the other guy and he's given all his effort, that's all you can ask for. For us, it's just to get back in the office and get back to the details, fundamentals, and techniques of things."

(On his emotions after A.J. Brown went out) "We don't blink at all. It's always been the-next-man-up mentality. We know in that room we have some dogs. It's not just one guy. When you have a room like that, full of guys that can make the play, you're never thinking on one guy. The opportunity for the other guys to step up was there, and they did what they needed to do. A.J. (Brown)'s a professional, and he'll do what he needs to do to get back."