The New England Patriots had a great run, but came up short. The Seattle Seahawks’ defense proved to be an obstacle impossible to overcome as they gave the Patriots offense plenty of problems while Seattle cruised to their Super Bowl triumph. After the heartbreaking loss, NFL MVP runner-up Drake Maye spoke to reporters about his emotions.
Drake Maye Speaks After Heartbreaking Loss
Losing the Super Bowl stings because it’s not a guarantee to return. When you get so close, but fall short, it’s tough to stomach. Maye expressed his disappointment in the way the game turned out for him.
“It hurts, no doubt, you know, it definitely hurts,” Maye said. “It’s been a long ride. They played better than us tonight. They deserved to win that game, and you know, speaking for the whole team and myself, what a journey it’s been for us. I love this team, I love those guys in the locker room, and I left it all on the field, and I know a lot of guys did that tonight and just came up short, didn’t play our best, and that’s what happens,” said Maye.
Maye didn’t have his best stuff tonight. While he was under constant duress, he just didn’t look like the player who was so close to being named NFL MVP. As a whole, the Patriots didn’t execute as well as the Seahawks. Maye acknowledged that fact postgame, too.
“It’s been a long ride. They played better than us tonight.”
Drake Maye reflects on falling short of a Super Bowl title. pic.twitter.com/r4AT4puPIG
— ESPN (@espn) February 9, 2026
Maye knows that this game could’ve been different. He pointed to a few moments in the first half that he’d like to have back. “There’s numerous plays in the first half where I feel like I could have made a better throw or make a better decision,” he said.
The Patriots will look back on this game to see what went wrong. It won’t be easy to rewatch the tough defeat, but they’ll be aiming to fix their issues and make sure there isn’t a repeat next season.
“I think you know all those guys in that locker room are going to use this as fuel, and I think you’ll go to war with those guys anytime, any day, anywhere,” said Maye.
The Patriots are not going anywhere under Vrabel. With Maye at the helm, this team is built to be back in contention next year. Maye is already looking ahead to being the best teammate and player that he can be for next season. Maye finished as the 2nd-best quarterback in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric with an impact score of 91.1, but struggled in the playoffs. Despite his success, he’s looking to become a better leader.
“Kind of really go back to before this year, before coach got hired and just trying to be the same, you know, the same person that got me here. To have people in, you know, in the facility or my family members change kind of what I do in my life to do things better leadership-wise or be a better teammate or try to take advice from people I care about to try to improve,” said Maye.
It’s back to the drawing board for Maye and the Patriots. Most of the team should be back as New England looks to prove the doubters wrong next season. Their schedule won’t be as favorable, but the Patriots are planning on being back in the big one regardless, and next time, walking away with the Lombardi.
