Patriots
The Patriots dropped a close game to Seattle in overtime. Here are a few reasons why.
The Patriots dropped their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, 23-20, in overtime Sunday.
New England fell to 1-1, and Jerod Mayo picked up his first regular-season loss as Patriots head coach.
The Patriots fought hard, but Seattle prevailed in the end. Here are three reasons why.
Miscommunication in the secondary
The Patriots got burned by a busted coverage early in the first quarter, and it breathed life into Seattle’s offense.
DK Metcalf sprinted up the seam between Christian Gonzalez and Kyle Dugger for a 56-yard touchdown. He could not have been more wide open.
Gonzalez started to backpedal but moved forward as Metcalf ran past, as if he were expecting Dugger to be behind him and pick Metcalf up.
Meanwhile, Dugger was inching up to play more aggressively and had to turn and chase Metcalf once he saw the Seattle receiver charging up the field.
Metcalf’s route wasn’t particularly complicated, but he was still able to run free because of the miscommunication.
The Patriots held Seattle to seven yards on the opening drive and jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but Metcalf erased the Patriots’ advantage quickly. Seattle found its footing and punched in another touchdown on the following drive, taking the lead and forcing the Patriots to play from behind for much of the game.
Playing from behind with an offense that struggles to produce explosive plays is bound to be a struggle. The Patriots’ offense fizzled in the second half trying to play catch up and was unable to get it done in overtime despite getting the ball first.
Lack of production from receivers
Let’s preface this by saying that tight end Hunter Henry had a huge game. He topped 100 yards for the second time in his eight-year career.
He was a reliable target with Jacoby Brissett facing much more pressure than he did during the opener against the Bengals. Brissett was forced out of the pocket numerous times, but he was able to extend plays with his legs and find Henry as the plays broke down.
But, that was about it in terms of production from New England’s passing attack. DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, and Javon Baker all finished finished without a single catch. K.J. Osborn’s first catch didn’t come until overtime.
Brissett managed the game, completed most of his passes, and went without a turnover for the second week in a row. Ja’Lynn Polk caught his first career touchdown pass on a quick slant in the first half. The running game was effective as well.
But, New England needed much more out of its receivers Sunday.
4th quarter blocked field goal
New England had a three-point lead with the ball and just less than four minutes remaining when Joey Slye attempted a 48-yard field-goal.
A make would have put the Patriots up by six, meaning the Seahawks would have needed a touchdown and extra point to win the game.
Instead, Seattle got the ball and nailed a field goal to tie the game before eventually prevailing in overtime.
Special teams issues, particularly in the fourth quarter, can seriously undermine a team’s chances to win – and that’s what happened to the Patriots on Sunday.
They had a breakdown at the wrong time and paid a heavy cost for it.
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