The New England Patriots came into their home opener with the chance to go 2-0, a result the NFL world thought would be the exact opposite. With Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III out with an oblique injury, another win for the Patriots looked possible. It was a tight game throughout. Like the Patriots last game, not many touchdowns were scored. This matchup had a combined three. The Patriots had their chances down the stretch, but they couldn’t capitalize. The Seahawks pulled out the victory with a 31-yard field goal in overtime.
A Hot First Quarter For Both
The game got off to a hot start as both teams scored a touchdown on their second drive of the first quarter. For the Patriots, Jacoby Brissett led the team on an eight-play, 60-yard drive that concluded with a five-yard touchdown pass to the rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. This was Brissett’s first touchdown of the season. The quarterback had a terrific start to the game as he completed his first seven throws.
The Seahawks answered shortly after. In a four-play, 72-yard drive, Geno Smith threw a 56-yard pass to DK Metcalf who ran it in for the touchdown. On the Patriots’ third drive, they couldn’t cash in after being in the red zone, but Joey Slye nailed a 29-yard field goal. He went three for three last week. Slye has been one of the best offensive players for New England so far this season, not really what you want to be true. Seven of Brissett’s completions in the first half went to Hunter Henry. This eclipsed 98 yards for the tight end. The Seahawks led 17-13 at the half after Jason Meyers hit a 44-yard field goal.
Patriots’ Quieter Second Half
The Patriots’ first two drives of the third quarter ended with two three-and-outs. After a fumble by Rhamondre Stevenson near the goal line early into the fourth quarter, the Patriots luckily recovered it. Three plays later, Stevenson got the direct snap and punched it in for six to give the Patriots a 20-17 lead. The fourth-year running back will likely continue to be a huge part of this offense unless Ja’Lynn Polk or another receiver has a breakout game.
On New England’s next drive, new Patriot Antonio Gibson had a huge run. What first looked like a loss of yards, Gibson broke a backfield tackle and ran down the sideline for 45 yards. He ended the game with 11 carries for 96 yards. After that play though, things went downhill for the Pats as Brissett was sacked on a third down. What looked like a promising drive was brought to a halt. Slye was brought out again for a 48-yard field goal. As the ball was snapped, multiple Seattle linemen stuck their hands above the New England offensive line and blocked the kick.
Seattle Ties It Up Late
After the Seahawks blocked the field goal, they went on a nine-play, 42-yard drive and converted a field goal to tie it up 20-20 with 55 seconds left to go in the fourth quarter. On New England’s next possession, they were unable to produce a game-winning drive. With the current state of this offense, it was doubtful that they were going to be able to march down the field with less than a minute to go. In overtime, the Patriots won the coin toss. They took this momentum and went three-and-out again.
Seattle took over and did what they needed to do, going 2-0 and taking first place in the NFC West. It’s always tough losing in overtime, especially when you win the toss and don’t do anything with it. Having a field goal blocked in a three-point game didn’t help either.
Tough But Not Terrible Loss
With this game’s problems, at least it was close. With a Patriots’ team that is still rebuilding under a new head coach and quarterback, this game showed that the team is still competitive. The defense can still play pretty well. They sacked Geno Smith three times today. The offense needs to step up more though. They are still struggling to make big plays. Brissett threw just four passes over 10 yards the whole game. Additionally, he threw for just 32 yards in the second half.
While the Patriots aren’t playing badly, Brissett is not selling himself as the long-term starter. Through two weeks, Brissett has thrown for an underwhelming 270 yards and has completed less than 60 percent of his pass attempts. But the blame isn’t just on him, Patriots’ wide receivers have a combined 11 catches through the first two weeks. Stevenson and Gibson can’t do everything. The air attack needs to be improved by a lot. This young group of wide receivers and Hunter Henry will have to step up more. If the Pats can make more plays in the air, they could win more games than people think. They are already miles ahead of where NFL followers thought they would be this season.
In my Patriots 2024-25 game predictions article, I correctly predicted that the Patriots would lose against the Seahawks. However, along with most other people, I was wrong in thinking that the team would also lose against the Bengals. Check back each week to see how my game predictions do. The Patriots’ next game will be against the Jets on Thursday Night Football.
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