Patriots-Seahawks What To Watch For: Will Pats' offense show more versatility in Week 2?
FOXBORO -- With the Patriots sitting at 1-0 on the season, there is an air of positivity surrounding the team heading into their home opener on Sunday afternoon. In winning on the road as heavy underdogs in Week 1, the Patriots showed that they are going to be a competitive team in Jerod Mayo's first season.
It has given the team loads of confidence, and on Sunday they get to play in front of their home fans for the first time. They'll do so after Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler rings the bell atop the lighthouse, which will have the stadium going bananas ahead of kickoff. Mix in the potential for silver pants, and this is a big weekend in Foxboro.
While this Sunday's game is another winnable contest, the Patriots will face a tough foe in the 1-0 Seattle Seahawks. Just like the Patriots, the Seahawks got rookie head coach Mike Macdonald his first career win last Sunday. Also like the Patriots, Seattle did so with a hounding defense and a strong run game.
Both Mayo and Macdonald are defensive-minded coaches, so get ready for a real rock fight at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. If you enjoyed the way the Patriots won last week, you may see a repeat in Week 2.
And if the Patriots improve to 2-0 on the 2024 season and win their first home game, they'll have already matched last season's win total at Gillette. Here's what we'll be watching for when the Patriots kick off their tilt against the Seahawks.
Can the Patriots O-line handle the pressure from the Seahawks?
The Patriots are going to be without starting left guard Sidy Sow for a second straight week, with Michael Jordan likely getting bumped up from the practice squad to take his spot on Sunday. The offensive line pretty solid in their run-blocking in Week 1, but they were pretty horrible in pass protection.
Jacoby Brissett was pressured on 48.3 percent of his dropbacks in Week 1, seeing the most heat that any quarterback had to deal with last weekend. The Bengals only sacked him once, but Brissett was hit seven times on his 24 dropbacks. That's no way to keep a quarterback healthy.
Brissett did his part to mitigate those offensive line issues with some smart scrambles and quick passes, but the Patriots' pass protection is going to have to be much better against Seattle. Macdonald's defense was all over the Denver Broncos and rookie quarterback Bo Nix in Week 1. They sacked him only twice, but hit the rookie a total of nine times. In the face of all that pressure, Nix was picked off twice.
Seattle defensive end Leonard Williams didn't record a sack, but he had four hits on Nix last weekend. Linebacker Derick Hall had a sack and three QB hits, while linebacker Boye Mafe recorded a sack and two QB hits.
"Everyone is a threat," Mayo said of Macdonald's scheme earlier this week. "When we talk about known rushers, it's really the unknown rushers that make that defense special. You don't know who's coming. They drop out defensive ends. They do things that are very similar to some of the things that we do as well, the zone blitzing and protecting the deep part of the field. Historically they've always had a good defense, and they have a bunch of good players."
The hope is that with a full week of practice, left tackle Vederian Lowe will be much better in Week 2. (And continue to be much better than Chuks Okorafor, who was benched early last Sunday.) But Lowe will have his hands full with the disruptive Mafe, who constantly pressured Nix last week and also logged a pair of tackles for a loss.
Likewise, rookie Layden Robinson will probably have to try to handle Williams, which is a huge mismatch in favor of the Seahawks. Brissett is going to have to keep his head on a swivel and be ready to get creative again this Sunday.
Can the New England offense get receivers involved vs. Seahawks?
The Patriots are going to run the ball a lot, because why wouldn't they after Rhamondre Stevenson ran wild last weekend? He was picking up yards after contact with ease and helped his team control the clock. A similar approach is likely coming Sunday.
But it would be nice to see the passing game get a little more involved this weekend. The Patriots are not going to win many games with just 120 yards through the air, and despite Stevenson (and Brissett on a few plays) running all over the Bengals last weekend, there are NFL teams capable of stopping the run.
We don't really know anything about any team in the NFL at this point, but the Seahawks may be one of those teams after holding the Broncos to just 99 yards on the ground last week. Nix was the Broncos' most prolific runner in Week 1, going for 35 yards on five scrambles -- including a touchdown run. But Seattle held Denver running backs Jaleel McLaughlin and Javonte Williams to just 50 yards on their 18 combined carries.
So if Stevenson isn't as explosive as last weekend, can the Patriots offense still find a way to move the ball downfield? Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt praised the team's "versatility" in offense, but we've yet to see much of a passing attack out of the squad.
Quick passes to Demario Douglas and tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper will help, but eventually the Pats are going to need Brissett to look downfield. Ja'Lynn Polk was open downfield a few times, but Brissett either didn't see him because he was already scrambling or he just didn't look the rookie's way. After seeing those missed opportunities on tape, Brissett should be looking Polk's way on Sunday.
It would be nice to see both Polk and Tyquan Thornton get involved, or at least get more targets than K.J. Osborn.
Can the Patriots make their own breaks again?
The Patriots left a lot on the field in Cincinnati, but they still made the plays they had to make to get a win. They made sure things broke their way on a number of occassions.
Hunter Henry saved Brissett from an end-zone interception. Kyle Dugger saved a touchdown when he punched the ball out of Tanner Hudson's hand before the tight end got into the end zone. Joe Cardona came through with a forced fumble on special teams, leading to three points for the Patriots.
The Patriots won the turnover battle last Sunday, which they'll need to do every weekend given their razor thin margin for error. The Seahawks will probably give them a few opportunities.
Geno Smith's Week 1 began with the quarterback taking a sack, and then getting picked off on his first pass attempt of the game. Seattle also had a special teams turnover when Dee Williams muffed a punt. The Seahawks were hit with TWO safeties last Sunday; one because of an offensive holding penalty, and one after a 65-yard punt pinned them at their own 1-yard line.
The Patriots defense and special teams should have opportunities to make game-changing plays again this weekend.
Geno and Jacoby
When the Patriots signed Brissett, it was clear that he was going to be the bridge to whomever they drafted third overall. While Drake Maye is now the future in New England, the hope was that Brissett may be able to recreate a season similar to the one Smith gave the Seahawks in 2022 and let Maye learn from the safety of the sideline.
Smith was awesome for Seattle that season, winning Comeback Player of the Year after completing 69.8 percent of his passes for 30 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. Seattle went 9-8 that year and made a return to the postseason, and Smith gave them another Pro Bowl season in 2023.
Chances are Brissett isn't going to throw 30 touchdowns this season, because he doesn't have the weapons or the protection. But the Patriots need him to play smart and take care of the ball. This game shouldn't turn into a track meet, so the Pats may be able to win with a paper-cut offense.
Smith wasn't anything spectacular against Denver but he did enough to get the W, including a 34-yard touchdown scamper. The Patriots have to watch Smith's scrambling, which is a wrinkle they didn't have to worry about last week against Joe Burrow. But with guys like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in the Seattle receiving corps, they also have to look out for the deep ball. Running back Zach Charbonnet also had a 30-yard touchdown off a wheel route last Sunday, so he's a guy the New England defense will have to be ready for out of the backfield.
Smith may have more on his plate Sunday if running back Kenneth Walker (103 rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 1) can't play after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday with an oblique injury. That would take a dangerous weapon off the Seattle offense, and let the Patriots defense key in on the Seattle's other playmakers.
We'll get you ready for Sunday's Patriots-Seahawks showdown with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV! After the game, switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!