Patriots' Maye had pain-relieving injection in shoulder before 3 turnovers in Super Bowl loss

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Drake Maye was a dependable and steadying force for the New England Patriots this season. The second-year quarterback never got the chance to be that when his team needed him most in the Super Bowl.

Maye was the NFL’s most accurate passer during the regular season and finished second in MVP voting, but he was hounded by the Seahawks' “Dark Side” defense throughout. He threw two touchdown passes, but was sacked six times, had two interceptions and lost a fumble that led to a TD by Seattle in New England's 29-13 loss on Sunday.

“Definitely hurts," Maye said. “They played better than us tonight.”

Maye, who was limited in one practice during the bye week with a right shoulder injury suffered in the AFC championship win over Denver, said after the Super Bowl he received a pain-relieving injection before the game.

“I shot it up, so not much feeling,” he said of the shoulder. “It was good to go, and it felt all right.”

Maye didn’t think the injury affected his performance against the Seahawks.

“I wouldn’t put the team in harm’s way to not be myself,” he said. “Just didn’t make plays tonight.”

It was a humbling end for a team that seemed poised to recapture a little of the magic of the Patriots' run of six championships over two decades. Instead, Maye sat after the game with his head down, in grass-stained pants and tears welling in his eyes.

“Family travel all this way to watch us play. Don't ruin their night. Because it sucks and it hurts," Maye said.

Maye finished 27 of 43 for 295 yards and there were few highlights before he and the Patriots finally found some traction in the third quarter.

Left tackle Will Campbell gave up two of the sacks on Maye as the Seahawks sent several blitzes to his side of the line. According to Next Gen Stats, Campbell allowed 14 pressures, the most allowed by any NFL player in a game this season. But Vrabel said no one performance was responsible for the offense's lack of production.

“We can sit here and try to put in on one guy. You'll be disappointed because that will never happen," Vrabel said. “It starts with us as a coaching staff. ... That's never going to change."

Trailing 19-0 after his fumble set up a touchdown pass by Sam Darnold, Maye finally got some time to operate in the pocket and threw a 35-yard TD pass to Mack Hollins.

It brought some life to the Patriots' sideline.

But it was short-lived.

Maye’s pass intended for Kyle Williams was picked off by Julian Love. The Seahawks added Jason Myers’ fifth field goal on their ensuing drive.

Down 22-7, New England’s fate was basically sealed when Maye was picked off by Uchenna Nwosu, who returned it 45 yards for a score.

The Patriots, who came in averaging 18 points per game in the playoffs, were held to 331 total yards.

New England was denied a seventh Lombardi Trophy, which would have broken a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in NFL history. It was a thudding end to a Cinderella-like season for the Patriots, who finished the regular season 14-3 in coach Mike Vrabel’s first season — which came off back-to-back 4-13 finishes.

“Part of our identity is not being a front-runner,” Vrabel said. "Just like every year, somebody’s gonna lose this game, and we have to remember what it feels like.”

The Patriots fell into a 12-0 halftime hole and punted on eight of their first nine drives. It would have been seven straight, but the final one of the first half was a one-play kneel down.

The 51 total yards gained by the Patriots were the fewest in a first half in the last 35 Super Bowls.

“We couldn't gain any rhythm, any field position," Vrabel said. “Defensively, we were really good against the run and we weren't. We were just playing catch-up.”

It also marked the fifth Super Bowl without a touchdown in the first half. Maye also became first player to be sacked three times on the first four drives of a Super Bowl since Tom Brady in Super Bowl 42 against the New York Giants.

One of the reasons Seattle’s defense was so effective was it did a great job of keeping New England’s offense in long yardage situations on third down. The Patriots had to negotiate third downs of 9, 15, 17, 7 and 12 yards in the first half. They were only 2 of 7 on conversions in the first half.

The most emotion Maye displayed afterward was in thinking about the shortcoming of a group that won’t be the same next season.

“Had that sink in right now. Hopefully a lot of the same faces are here. The nature of the business I know it won't be like that,” Maye said, his voice cracking. “But, this team was awesome.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye walks off the field after a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel celebrates with members of his team after a touchdown during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) makes a catch during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) escapes pressure from Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) sacks New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) causing a fumble during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) forces a fumble against New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) at the NFL Super Bowl 60 game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, February 8, 2026. (Adam Hunger/AP Content Services for the NFL)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)