This article was written by Gus Wilson and published on Sport & State, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
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The Super Bowl hangover hit both of last year’s participants hard in Week 3 of the NFL season.
Both the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks suffered disappointing losses Sunday, with last year’s AFC champions getting blown out 35-6 by the Jacksonville Jaguars and the reigning champs falling 33-31 to the winless Washington Commanders.
The story of the Patriots’ season so far has been the lackluster play of quarterback Drake Maye, which was on full display against Jacksonville. The young signal caller finished the day 14-for-25 for just 199 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble, marking his second three-turnover performance in three games, with the first coming in the Super Bowl LX rematch in the season opener.
TRAVIS HUNTER’S FIRST CAREER INT https://t.co/2Se7g3pV1u
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 27, 2026
The Jaguars were so dominant that they were actively trying to run out the clock with nearly nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Trevor Lawrence gave himself up on the one-yard line instead of taking the walk-in touchdown.
Trevor Lawrence gets through put takes a knee before the end zone.
#NFL https://t.co/2zO2Iby4Qz
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 27, 2026
Mack Hollins didn’t seem to care about the score, earning a taunting penalty for celebrating a first down while trailing by 25 points.
https://t.co/vYt4jVGC0v
— Follow @ZeroChillSports (@FollowZeroChill) September 27, 2026
The 1-2 start is not going unnoticed by head coach Mike Vrabel, who was not happy, to say the least.
#Patriots HC Mike Vrabel postgame:
“My concern level is very high for this football team. I just wanna coach and improve. I think that’s the biggest thing when you come off a game like that. You just wanna get back and work.”
(🎥 @Patriots) https://t.co/qXHV9FdCON
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) September 27, 2026
Things are not looking great in New England.
Despite the close score in the NFC matchup, Seattle’s performance was nothing to boast about. The Seahawks spent much of the afternoon playing from behind, despite the Commanders being without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Marcus Mariota, who started in relief, had three passing touchdowns and later picked up the game-sealing first-down run for their first win this season.
Marcus Mariota just called game!
@SEAvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/rsIGdzozr9— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Sam Darnold actually threw for more touchdowns in his return than Mariota, tallying four. The problem? He also threw two interceptions, including a late pick-six that put Washington in control.
COMMANDERS PICK-6 🚨
@SEAvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/bNetOkZzxu— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Both teams will look to figure it out next week. The Patriots have to rebound against the undefeated Buffalo Bills, while Seattle is taking on the Los Angeles Chargers, who are eagerly trying to earn their first win.
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