Patriots-Seahawks: What to watch for: Will the Patriots’ offense show more versatility in Week 2?

FOXBORO — The Patriots are 1-0 this season and the mood is positive heading into their home opener Sunday afternoon. By winning on the road as a big underdog in Week 1, the Patriots showed they are going to be a competitive team in Jerod Mayo’s first season.

This has given the team a lot of confidence and on Sunday they will be able to play in front of their fans for the first time. After Super Bowl XLIX, Hero Malcolm Butler Rings the Bell atop the lighthouse, which will rock the stadium before kickoff. Add in the potential for silver pants, and you have a big weekend in Foxboro.

While Sunday’s game is winnable once again, the Patriots will face a tough opponent in the Seattle Seahawks (1-0). Like the Patriots, the Seahawks gave rookie head coach Mike Macdonald his first career win last Sunday. Like the Patriots, Seattle did so on the strength of a stout defense and a solid running game.

Mayo and Macdonald are both defensive-minded coaches, so prepare for a real rock battle at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. If you liked the way the Patriots won last week, you might see a repeat of that victory in Week 2.

And if the Patriots improve to 2-0 in the 2024 season and win their home opener, they will have already matched last season’s win total in Gillette. Here’s what we’ll be watching for when the Patriots kick off their game against the Seahawks.

Can the Patriots’ offensive line handle the Seahawks’ pressure?

The Patriots will be without left guard Sidy Sow for a second straight week, with Michael Jordan likely being signed off the practice squad to take his place on Sunday. The offensive line was pretty solid in its run blocking in Week 1, but it was pretty awful in pass protection.

Jacoby Brissett was pressured 48.3 percent on his dropbacks in Week 1, making him the most-hit quarterback 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 has done his part to alleviate 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 place against the Denver Broncos and rookie quarterback Bo Nix in Week 1. They only tackled him twice, but hit the rookie nine times overall. Faced with all that pressure, Nix was intercepted twice.

Seattle defensive end Leonard Williams didn’t have a sack, but he had four hits on Nix last weekend. Linebacker Derick Hall had a sack and three hits on the QB, while linebacker Boye Mafe had a sack and two hits on the QB.

“Everybody’s 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 this defense special. You don’t know who’s coming. They take away defensive ends. They do things that are a lot like some of the things we do as well, zone blitzing and protecting the deep end. Historically, they’ve always had a good defense and they’ve got 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 recorded a pair of tackles for a loss.

Likewise, rookie Layden Robinson will likely have to try to handle Williams, which is a huge imbalance in the Seahawks’ favor. Brissett will have to keep his head down and be ready to get creative again this Sunday.

Can New England’s offense get receivers involved against the Seahawks?

The Patriots are going to run the ball a lot, because why wouldn’t they after Rhamondre Stevenson ran like a maniac last weekend? He gained yards after contact with ease and helped his team control the clock. A similar approach will likely be taken Sunday.

But it would be nice to see the passing game step up a bit more this weekend. The Patriots aren’t going to win many games with just 120 yards passing, and despite Stevenson (and Brissett on a few plays) running all over the Bengals last weekend, there are teams in the NFL capable of stopping the run.

We don’t know much about NFL teams at this point, but the Seahawks could very well be one of those teams after holding the Broncos to just 99 rushing yards last week. Nix was the Broncos’ most prolific rusher in Week 1, rushing for 35 yards on five carries, including a touchdown. But Seattle held Denver running backs Jaleel McLaughlin and Javonte Williams to just 50 yards on their combined 18 carries.

So if Stevenson isn’t as explosive as he was last weekend, can the Patriots’ offense still find a way to move the ball downfield? Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has praised the team’s “versatility” on offense, but we haven’t seen much of a passing attack from the team yet.

Quick passes to Demario Douglas and tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper will help, but the Pats are going to need Brissett to look downfield. Ja’Lynn Polk was open downfield a few times, but Brissett didn’t see it because he was already scrambling or he simply wasn’t looking the rookie’s way. After seeing those missed opportunities on video, Brissett should be looking Polk’s way Sunday.

It would be nice to see Polk and Tyquan Thornton step up, or at least get more targets than KJ Osborn.

Will the Patriots manage to make their own breakthrough again?

The Patriots left a lot on the field in Cincinnati, but they still made the plays they had had to get a victory. They made things go in their favor on several occasions.

Hunter Henry saved Brissett from an interception in the end zone. Kyle Dugger saved a touchdown by ripping the ball out of Tanner Hudson’s hands before the tight end got into the end zone. Joe Cardona had a forced fumble on special teams that gave the Patriots three points.

The Patriots won the turnover battle last Sunday, something they’ll need to do every weekend given their extremely small margin for error. The Seahawks will likely give them some opportunities.

Geno Smith’s first week started with a sack of the quarterback and then an interception on his first pass attempt of the game. Seattle also had a turnover on special teams when Dee Williams fumbled a punt. The Seahawks were penalized for TWO safeties last Sunday; one because of an offensive holding penalty, and the other after a 65-yard punt pinned them on their own one-yard line.

The Patriots’ defense and special teams should have another chance to pull off game-changing plays this weekend.

Geno and Jacoby

When the Patriots signed Brissett, it was clear he was going to be a bridge to whoever they picked third overall. While Drake Maye is now New England’s future, there was hope that Brissett could recreate a season similar to the one Smith gave the Seahawks in 2022 and allow Maye to learn safely on the bench.

Smith was impressive 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 returned to the playoffs, and Smith gave them another Pro Bowl season in 2023.

There’s a good chance Brissett won’t throw 30 touchdowns this season because he doesn’t have the weapons or protection to do so. 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 Patriots might be able to win with a paper offense.

Smith wasn’t spectacular against Denver, but he did what he needed to do to get the win, including a 34-yard touchdown run. The Patriots have to watch Smith’s movement, which is something they didn’t have to worry about last week against Joe Burrow. But with guys like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in Seattle’s receiving corps, they also have to watch out for deep passes. Running back Zach Charbonnet also had a 30-yard touchdown on a wheel route last Sunday, so he’s a guy New England’s defense will have to be ready to come out of the backfield for.

Smith could have more work 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 remove a dangerous weapon from Seattle’s offense and allow the Patriots defense to focus on 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, tune in to TV38 for full Patriots 5th quarter reaction and analysis!