Overview
Week 2 had a crazy 1pm slate, one of these games being the Seattle Seahawks visiting the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. One of the more overlooked games out of this Week 2 slate ended up being a pretty good game. The Patriots came into the game confident after pulling off a stunning week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Seahawks came into this matchup confident after handling the Broncos in a week 1 win.
The game was a defensive battle at first but as the game progressed the offenses stepped up when each team needed them most. A big stop by the Seahawks defense led to a game winning field goal in overtime from kicker Jason Myers.
Seahawks Offense
Although the Seahawks offense struggled in the 1st half only scoring 6 points, the unit looked very good after halftime. Geno Smith had over 40 passing attempts throwing for 327 passing yards with a passing touchdown. Smith wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help of his two receivers who showed up big time today. D.K.Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba combined for 22 catches, 246 yards and a receiving touchdown.
D.K. Metcalf found himself wide open for a 56 yard touchdown late in the first quarter and continued to be a force throughout the whole game. Fellow receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba looked like Geno’s main guy on 3rd downs with a couple of big conversions throughout the game. Both of these receivers came through and played awesome, when the Seahawks needed them.
Without Kenneth Walker, Seattle really struggled to run the ball all game with Zach Charbonnet and needed to heavily rely on Geno Smith and the talented receiving core. Ultimately it was the passing game that helped the Seahawks come out with the win.
Patriots Offense
The Patriots offense relied heavily on their rushing attack to move the ball. Running backs, Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson combined for over 170 rushing yards with Stevenson scoring a 1 yard touchdown.
Jacoby Brissett also looked good using his legs to get out of sacks and throwing the ball with precision all day. Brissett finished with 149 passing yards and a throwing touchdown to Ja’Lynn Polk. The most impressive showing of the day was tight end Hunter Henry who had 8 receptions for 109 receiving yards accounting for over half of the Patriots receiving yards.
The Patriots style of controlling the clock and relying on their defense kept them in this game. Throughout 2 games it seems like Jerad Mayo’s Patriots will play very similar to the prior regime under Bill Belichick.
Conclusion Of Game
This game was full of exciting plays but ultimately the game changing play where Julian Love’s blocked 48 yard field goal shifted the momentum. The block prevented the Patriots from going up by a touchdown before the 2 min warning.
This block was so pivotal in helping take this game to overtime, helping the Seahawks come out on top. The Seahawks now 2-0 host the 1-1 Miami Dolphins who will most likely be without QB Tua Tagovailoa. the Patriots fall to 1-1 and on a short week travel to face the 1-1 Jets in a division rivalry.