We could tell you that the NFL’s highly anticipated Week 2 rematch at Gillette Stadium between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots delivered an electrifying showdown as the two teams battled a full four quarters for supremacy. We could say that the game was a fascinating look into the inner minds of the coaches, and a nail-biter from start to finish. We could, but we would be lying. The truth is, this game was somewhat interesting at various points, but mostly rather a dragger. Football fans were treated to a slightly interesting contest as both the Patriots and the Seahawks regressed to the mean. This matchup was supposed to have everyone on the edge of their seats, with star players like DK Metcalf and Rhamondre Stevenson making their presence felt on the field. Instead, it was Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Hunter Henry who made most of the waves. For a contest that went into overtime, it felt far more sedate than we would have expected.
Geno Smith’s Career Renaissance Still…Renaissance-ing
Today’s game was all about Geno Smith’s resilience and skill against a still formidable New England defense. Smith rose to the challenge, displaying the accuracy that helped him lead the league in completion percentage in 2022. Smith completed 33 out of 44 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown. His ability to evade pressure and make throws on the run was evident throughout the game.
One of the game’s highlights was an early Smith connection with DK Metcalf. On the drive following New England’s initial touchdown, Metcalf caught a dime from Smith and went prancing through New England’s secondary zone coverage for a 56 yard completion and the tie. This was probably the most exciting play in the game. This play marked Metcalf’s sixth career touchdown of 50 or more yards, tying him with Steve Largent and Darrell Jackson for the second-most in franchise history.
Jacoby Brissett Is Protecting the Football, and We Are Grateful For It
On the other side of the field, Jacoby Brissett faced his own set of challenges against Seattle’s more-competent-than-we-anticipated defense. The Seahawks’ new head coach, Mike Macdonald, implemented a pressure-heavy defensive scheme that forced Brissett to extend plays with his legs. Last week everyone was surprised when the offensive line played a surprisingly good game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Today, they looked more like we had originally anticipated, and Brissett never seemed to have quite enough time to operate from the pocket.
Despite the pressure, Brissett managed to make some crucial plays. He connected with rookie Ja’Lynn Polk in the middle of the end zone for the first score of the game, which was also the young receiver’s first career touchdown. Brissett also showed his ability to buy time under pressure, finding tight end Hunter Henry for a big play that contributed to Henry’s career-high 109 receiving yards.
However, Brissett’s overall passing numbers were modest. He threw for under 125 yards on 20-plus pass attempts, a stat line that typically results in a loss for most teams. In fact, over the last two seasons, teams with such passing stats have only won 8 out of 32 games. If the Patriots are going to start winning with him on the regular, he’s going to have to find a way to gain more yards. However, he has played with smart deliberation and a veteran’s patience and he still hasn’t turned the ball over. Considering that Smith threw for almost three times as many yards as Brissett, its actually impressive that the Patriots were able to bring the game to overtime.
Despite a few early, predictable calls for Drake Maye, it should be clearer now why Mayo has chosen to start Brissett – his ball protection skills are something that most Patriots fans will consider a strong point in Jacoby’s favor. Perhaps we just have PTSD from the last two seasons’ multiple, horribly timed, red zone back-breakers, but even though the game was a loss, we appreciated Brissett’s ability to make mostly intelligent decisions under pressure. It has always been our opinion that learning when to throw the ball away is a fundamental quarterbacking skill that anybody can learn; Maye will probably never have the near-flawless instincts of #12, but instincts can be honed and developed and he would do well to learn from Brissett’s decision making in this area.
So far this year, win or lose, Mayo and Brissett’s games have felt clean, organized, and downright peaceful compared to the agonizing chaos of the past two seasons.
Quarterbacking Matters
Both quarterbacks had their moments of semi-brilliance during critical junctures of the game. Smith led a drive at the end of regulation to tie the game and another in overtime to set up Jason Myers’ game-winning field goal. His ability to deliver under pressure was evident in these crucial moments.
For the Seahawks, second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a breakout game, largely due to Smith’s accurate passing. Smith-Njigba recorded career highs in receptions (12) and receiving yards (117), with four of his nine catches coming on third down, three of which resulted in first downs .
Brissett, while not putting up flashy numbers, made some smart decisions that kept the Patriots in the game. His ability to find open receivers when under pressure, particularly Hunter Henry, was crucial. In the end, however, Smith’s ability to lead game-tying and game-winning drives proved to be the difference.
Running Game Impact
Rookie Zach Charbonnet stepped up in the absence of Kenneth Walker III, managing to plunge into the end zone midway through the second quarter. Despite this bright spot, the Seahawks’ overall rushing performance was subpar, reflecting their offensive line’s struggles.
On the Patriots’ side, Rhamondre Stevenson had a strong showing, proving once again that ‘Mondre should be a keystone piece of the offense. Stevenson rushed for 81 yards on 21 carries, averaging 3.9 yards per attempt. He also scored a touchdown, taking a direct snap near the goal line to give the Patriots the lead. Stevenson’s performance was crucial in keeping the Patriots’ offense competitive throughout the game.
The Patriots’ running game in general showed moments of dominance, particularly in the third and fourth quarters. They put together an impressive 66-yard touchdown drive, running the ball on 9 out of 11 plays for 48 yards. This drive showcased their ability to control the line of scrimmage when they really commit to it.
Antonio Gibson also contributed to the Patriots’ ground game, breaking free for a 45-yard run in the fourth quarter that set up a field goal attempt. Gibson has demonstrated early that he and Rhamondre Stevenson could be one of the most formidable ground duos in the NFL. Unfortunately, the Seahawks’ special teams came up big to ruin the afternoon, with Julian Love blocking Joey Slye’s 48-yard field goal attempt with under four minutes to go. This was arguably the most critical, game-changing play of the game. It was certainly one of the most exciting.
DK Metcalf’s Long Touchdown
DK Metcalf demonstrated on Sunday why he’s such a formidable player…on one play of the game. For the rest of the time, he was largely rendered persona non grata by Christian Gonzales, leaving Jaxon Smith-Njigba to pick up the slack. But for that one play, that one glorious play, Metcalf sparkled like the elite shining star that he is. On a go route from the slot, Metcalf breezed through Kyle Duggar’s zone coverage in the Patriots’ secondary and into the end zone.
The result was a spectacular 56-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7 late in the first quarter. This play marked a significant milestone in Metcalf’s career: it was his sixth touchdown catch of 50-plus yards since his career began in 2019, tying him with Steve Largent and Darrell Jackson for the second-most in Seahawks franchise history. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the third-longest touchdown of Metcalf’s career and the longest touchdown the Patriots have allowed since Jonathan Taylor’s 67-yard rushing score in 2021. This one play alone was responsible for nearly half of Metcalf’s total 117 yards.
Love Hurts
As the game entered its final stages, the Patriots had actually kind of gotten our hopes up. They seemed poised to take control of the game or, at least, not completely lose it. A 45-yard run from Antonio Gibson had helped New England work their way down to the Seahawks’ 21-yard line and a field goal would put them ahead with a good chance to win the game. With under four minutes to go, Joey Slye lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt that would have given the Patriots a six-point lead. Slye had not missed yet.
This is where Julian Love decided to step up. Love, who had already made significant contributions on defense with 12 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble in the Hawks’ season opener, burst through the Patriots’ line and got a hand on the ball, blocking Slye’s field goal attempt. This not only prevented the Patriots from extending their lead but also set up the Seahawks to tie the game with a field goal of their own and force overtime.
Potential Overtime Thrills and Heroics
The blocked field goal set the stage for a potentially thrilling finish. With 55 seconds left in regulation, Jason Myers nailed a 38-yard field goal to tie the game at 20-all, sending the contest into overtime. The Patriots won the coin toss and had the chance to put it away with a touchdown. Would Jacoby rise to the occasion with thrilling heroics? Would the receivers get open downfield and run it in for an exciting touchdown?
Unfortunately, the potential for a thrilling and heroic Patriots finish was, sadly, unfulfilled. New England won the coin toss, then immediately went three and out. Smith, who finished the game with an impressive 33 completions out of 44 attempts for 327 yards and a touchdown, followed with an impressive drive down the field to bring Seattle into field goal range. With 4:37 remaining in overtime, Jason Myers easily nailed the 31-yard kick, sealing a 23-20 victory for the Seahawks.
This game-winning kick was Myers’ fifth successful field goal of the young season, making him a perfect 5-for-5 . His accuracy has been crucial for the Seahawks, who have needed every single point he’s kicked for them through their first two games.
In the end, the Patriots acquitted themselves admirably, and there are bright spots about which fans can feel good moving forward: the run game, the decsion-making and ball protection, and their defense in general (the blown coverage on Metcalf was kind of a fluke, and it was a bit unclear whose responsibility he was under the zone, Duggar’s or Gonzales; it appeared to be Duggar’s, but it could have been a miscommunication). These are strong elements to build upon, but they also have areas of inconsistency. Their pass protection is still a work in progress; they allowed pressure on 16 of 33 dropbacks, and Vaderian Lowe left the game with an injury. Brissett struggled to push the ball down the field (partially, but not entirely, due to the aforementioned line issues).
Geno Smith, was also more than able to distribute the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba when Gonzales had (mostly) shut down DK Metcalf. As we mentioned earlier, Metcalf had over 100 yards, but half of them came from that single highlight play out of busted zone coverage; the rest of the game he was kept as quiet as we can ever expect DK Metcalf to be. It was mostly Smith-Njigba who gauged the Pats in the air.
The Seahawks’ ability to make a big play when it mattered most proved decisive. Seattle is now at the top of the NFC West and the Patriots will have to go 1-1 into MetLife Stadium on a short week to face a newly re-energized Jets team. This was a winnable game, but there were some real positives and improvements over the last two years; specifically, the Patriots did not turn the ball over, their offense looked organized, and they took a very good team into overtime rather than allowing the game to completely unravel. We will know that the Pats have taken the next step forward when they start winning these types of contests again.