SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The lasting image of Super Bowl LX could be any number of ugly Patriots snapshots.

Drake Maye going down in a heap. Maye hurling an interception. Or Sam Darnold, finally free of his old ghosts, jumping in celebration at the expense of the defense that conjured them in the first place all those years ago.

Go ahead. Take your pick.

But the lasting lesson for the Patriots at the end of Year 1 of the Mike Vrabel era must be this: pressure breaks all things.

Maye cracked in the second half Sunday night, spooked inside clean pockets and dropped inside dirty ones, his 35-yard touchdown pass notwithstanding. His offensive line snapped immediately, starting with the two sacks it gave up in the first quarter. And the Patriots’ defense, burdened with the load of carrying an offense that couldn’t figure out how to take one step forward without taking two back, allowed as many points after halftime as Maye and Co. scored all game.

Seattle put the Pats in a headlock and squeezed harder and harder over a 29-13 win. Maye was miserable. So was his team. Sometime, shock must have settled in for the AFC champs, who many claimed were lucky to be here. Never once did their belief waver under Vrabel, a credit to his culture and coaching.

But the results of this Super Bowl were too damning for the Pats not to wonder how big a gap they had been asked to bridge in their attempt for an upset bid.

The Seahawks, everyone knew, had entered as the deeper, more talented and more dominant team. But this was something more. A 4.5-point favorite that looked like oddsmakers forgot to make it 14.5.

All that pressure, in all three phases, was too much for the Patriots. There were zero edges to be found. Not even on special teams, where Seattle’s kicker, Jason Myers, set a Super Bowl record, and the punter repeatedly pinned the Pats against the shadow of their own end zone.

Defensively, there was no comparison. See: six sacks, two interceptions and one touchdown scored for the Seahawks. And you can say this for Darnold, a part-time turnover factory, and his Seattle offense: it was far and away the steadier group compared to the Pats, who scored as well and as consistently as any offense in football.

But the truth is, the Patriots offense never applied enough pressure all postseason. That is not retrospective analysis being kind to Maye. It was a boom-or-bust unit starting in the Wild Card round, which relied too heavily on explosive plays over steady gains to mine success. Once the Pats couldn’t strike deep enough and early enough against Seattle, it was over.

And there can be no excuses regarding Maye’s shoulder. He was a full participant all week in practice. He wasn’t listed on the injury report. No one in the organization, on the record or off, indicated it was a problem. He also threaded two big-time deep throws to Mack Hollins, including the touchdown.

If it comes out now that Maye was, call it for what it is: an excuse. Good teams don’t make excuses. They learn from their scars.

And these Patriots will.

Remember where they came from: back-to-back 4-13 seasons, playing under their third head coach in as many years. This is not moving the goal posts. It’s where they’ve been.

The Patriots were always ahead of schedule. The Seahawks, in Year 2 under outstanding young coach Mike MacDonald were ahead, too. Just with a lot more talent and a little more veteran savvy.

But no AFC team deserved to be in the Super Bowl more than the Patriots. Not Buffalo, not Denver, not Houston, not the Chargers. And those teams should fear what comes next from Maye and Vrabel.

Time is on their side. Maye is 23. Vrabel’s culture will only grow from here, and with it, confidence.

Ever since they won the AFC, the Patriots pointed to their win at Buffalo, all the way back in Week 5, as the turning point of their season. I remarked then it was time to believe in this team again.

Even in the pain of this defeat, a lopsided, ugly defeat, don’t stop now.

They will be back.

Maybe even soon.

The Boston Herald

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