FOXBOROUGH – Can the Patriots do it again?
Coming off a Week 1 upset over the Cincinnati Bengals, Jerod Mayo’s Patriots team is confident heading into their regular-season home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks (1-0) enter this game as 3.5-point favorites over the Patriots. Seattle comes into this matchup with a new coach Mike McDonald, who schemes up a tough defensive scheme.
There’s no denying that the Seahawks have more talent. On defense, they’re led by Pro Bowler cornerback Tariq Woolen and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams. On offense, they have two receivers who’ve made Pro Bowls in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
However, as was seen in Cincinnati, the team with the better roster doesn’t always win. The Patriots proved to be better coached than the Bengals and head into Week 2 looking to show that again.
Here are five things to watch when the Patriots take on the Seahawks:
Can Rhamondre Stevenson do it again?
Jerod Mayo announced to the NFL world that the Patriots will be a run-first team. That was seen last weekend in Cincinnati when the offense ran for 170 total yards. That was possible due to Rhamondre Stevenson.
The running back led the way with 120 yards with a rushing touchdown. The offense’s game plan worked perfectly, thanks to Stevenson’s tackle-breaking ability. Can he keep it up this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks? In their 26-20 win over Denver, the Seattle defense held the Broncos to 99 total rushing yards. Both Denver running backs (Jaleel McLaughlin and Javonte Williams averaged under 3.0 yards per carry.
Can the Patriots defensive line do it again?
The Patriots defense line did a solid job of limiting the Bengals run and pressing Joe Burrow. Last weekend, Cincinnati ran for 70 total rushing yards. Burrow was sacked three times and hit seven times total. It was a big-time effort from a group without Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore.
This weekend, the challenge will be similar. In Week 1, Seattle running back Kenneth Walker ran for 103 yards, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, and scored a touchdown. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith only threw for 171 yards with a touchdown, but also added 30 yards on the ground and scored a rushing touchdown. Walker is dealing with an oblique injury and if he can’t play, Seattle will rely on Zach Charbonnet.
We’ll see if the Patriots defense line can do it again.
Patriots secondary vs. Seahawks
The Patriots got a bit lucky in Cincinnati. The Bengals were without receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) and Ja’Marr Chase played 84% of the snaps after sitting out most of training camp.
That won’t be the case on Sunday. The Patriots secondary will be tested by Seattle receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Last season, Metcalf finished with 66 receptions, 1,114 yards and eight touchdowns. Lockett finished with 79 catches, 894 yards and five touchdowns. Seattle also has a 2023 first-round pick, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 63 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns. We’ll see how Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, and Marcus Jones fare against this group on Sunday.
Patriots offensive line
The Patriots offensive line was solid in Cincinnati, but they received a lot of help from Brissett. The veteran quarterback did his line several favors by escaping the pass rush and running for positive gains. Brissett was sacked once and hit seven times.
For the second straight week, the Patriots will be without starting left guard Sidy Sow (ankle) and will rely on Michael Jordan, who’s currently on the practice squad. Last week, the team started Chuks Okorafor at left tackle, but the veteran was benched in the middle of the second series for Vederian Lowe, who’s projected to start on Sunday.
The Patriots will need a better effort from this group against a tough Seattle defensive line.
Patriots wide receivers
At some point, the Patriots are going to have to lean on their passing game. It would be helpful if their receivers stepped up. Last weekend, the Patriots leading receiver was tight end Austin Hooper (31 yards). K.J. Osborn led the offense in receptions with three catches for 21 yards.
This week, Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt said they saw their receivers getting open plenty and made it seem like it’s on Brissett to get them the ball. Last weekend, Seattle’s secondary held Denver quarterback Bo Nix to 138 passing yards and also intercepted the rookie twice. On Sunday, the Patriots receivers need to step up. We’ll see if they can help carry the load.
Prediction: Seahawks 16, Patriots 13
