Patriots
New England orchestrated a second-half comeback, but several lapses in execution all piled up in a crushing loss at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett throws a touchdown pass to Ja’Lynn Polk against the Seattle Seahawks during first-quarter action at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Matthew J Lee/Globe Staff
For the second week in a row, Jerod Mayo’s Patriots submitted a gutsy, scrappy performance.But after leaving Cincinnati with a win in Week 1, New England was unable to carry that momentum over to its home opener — with Seattle eventually beating the Patriots in overtime, 23-20, off a 31-yard field goal from Jason Myers. With the loss, New England drops to 1-1 on the season. Here are several quick takeaways from Sunday’s loss.Can’t seal the dealThe Patriots deserve full marks for scrapping and clawing back from a halftime deficit against Seattle. There were several standouts — be it Jacoby Brissett (15 of 27, 149 yards, 1 TD) and Hunter Henry (eight catches, 109 yards) in the first half, Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson’s second-half resurgence (177 total rushing yards) or another strong showing from Keion White (1.5 sacks, seven tackles).But on a rebuilding Patriots team that likely has little room for error this season, New England can’t expect to walk off the field with a win in a game marred with several lapses in execution. New England still punted on six of its series, its receiver corps was quiet once again, and pass protection remained ugly. Add a blocked field in the fourth quarter, and New England’s defense unable to hold onto a 20-17 lead on the final drive of regulation, and too much went wrong for Mayo’s team in this one. The Patriots went three-and-out on their lone drive of overtime, with Seattle ending things with an eight-play, 51-yard drive that concluded with Myers’ kick.Expect plenty of competitive battles from this team in 2024, but there’s still work to be done when it comes to getting wins out of these types of games.Red-zone woes hinder New England in first halfThe good news? The Patriots once again managed to string together some sustained, effective drives on offense during Sunday’s game — something that was often a rare occurrence during the 2023 season.The bad news? Despite a strong game from Brissett, New England was unable to make Seattle’s defense pay by finding the end zone in the first half — with the Patriots only scoring a touchdown on one of their first three trips to the red zone.Even with Joey Slye converting both of his first two field-goal attempts, New England trailed at halftime, 17-13, with Seattle scoring a pair of touchdowns from DK Metcalf and Zach Charbonnet. New England had several opportunities in the red zone to either extend a lead or claw back ahead of Seattle, but the Patriots couldn’t get their run game going for most of the opening 30 minutes. Rookie Ja’Lynn Polk did score his first career touchdown off a strong throw from Brissett in the first quarter, but that was the lone catch by a receiver in the entire first half for New England. “Take ‘Em To The Hill” takes over … but blocked field goal looms largeDespite a quiet first half for New England’s ground game, Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, and the Patriots went back to basics on offense — putting the ball back in Stevenson and Gibson’s hands.And be it New England’s conditioning outlasting Seattle’s defense or an inevitable bounce-back from Stevenson — the Patriots’ rushing attack allowed them to orchestrate a second-half rally. After two punts to open the third quarter, New England found the end zone by sticking to the ground game — putting together an 11-play, 66-yard drive that took 6:20 off the clock. New England ran the ball on nine of those 11 plays, which ended with Stevenson running it in from the 1-yard line to put the Patriots ahead, 20-17, with 12:43 to go in regulation. New England once again ate up plenty of yardage on its next drive, with Gibson reeling off a 45-yard rush to put the Patriots in position to ice the game. But Slye’s field-goal attempt from 48 yards out was blocked by Julian Love — with Austin Hooper doing little to stop the Seahawks safety on the play. New England’s strength relies on its run game and execution on special teams, as was the case in Week 1. But it was too little, too late for New England’s run game in Week 2, while that blocked field goal might have been the difference between a win and loss.New England’s defense rebounds after early miscues … but falters lateAfter corralling Joe Burrow and the Bengals for most of Week 1, New England’s defense looked like it was in for a long afternoon against Seattle’s talented pass-catchers Sunday.With Kenneth Walker III sidelined for Seattle, Geno Smith and the Seahawks focused most of their offense through the air — with Seattle answering Polk’s score with a 56-yard touchdown by Metcalf on its next drive.Metcalf is already one of the best burners in the league, but a miscommunication between Christian Gonzalez and Kyle Dugger allowed Metcalf to run unchecked down the field. Seattle’s second touchdown drive of the first was aided by a critical miscue by Marco Wilson — who committed his second pass-interference penalty in as many games this season to put Seattle on New England’s 1-yard line. Charbonnet promptly ran up the gut for a score with 5:47 left in the first half to take a 14-10 lead.But after relinquishing a Seattle field goal at the end of the first half (a result of some lackluster clock management by New England), the Patriots clamped down on Seattle the rest of the way. Momentum shifted back in New England’s favor after the Patriots snuffed out a 4th-and-1 on their own 25-yard line to open the second half — with the Patriots then forcing three straight punts by Seattle on its following three drives. Even with a strong second-half response, New England’s defense will be kicking itself for not being able to close out a 20-17 win in crunch time. Smith had a strong game for Seattle, but the Patriots were unable to deliver in what was a nine-play, 42-yard that resulted in a game-tying kick from Myers.Add in the subsequent overtime drive from Seattle, and New England’s defense can’t be happy with the late-game execution in this one.Odds and endsNew England’s defense took a hit during Sunday’s win, as Ja’Whaun Bentley (shoulder) and Oshane Ximines (knee) were ruled out due to injuries. Bentley missed most of Sunday’s game with his injury, with Raekwon McMillan replacing him on the field and Jahlani Tavai taking over as defensive play caller. Vederian Lowe also did not return after suffering a knee injury in the fourth quarter. Gillette Stadium continues to be a house of horrors for the Patriots. The Patriots went 1-7 at Foxborough last year, and were just 9-16 at Gillette over the previous three seasons. While there were early breakdowns in the secondary for New England, Jaylinn Hawkins made several impressive heads-up plays in the victory. He’s looking like a solid free-agent pickup for New England. LIVE UPDATES4:15: Myers hits a 31-yard field goal. Seattle wins, 23-20. 4:05: Patriots go 3-and-out. Seattle takes over. Next score wins. 4:02: Caedan Wallace in at left tackle. 3:58: Patriots and Seahawks head to overtime. 20-20 game. New England wins the coin toss and wants the ball.3:57: Vederian Lowe is in the blue tent. 3:52: All tied up, 20-20. Patriots ball with 55 seconds left. 3:51: Seattle tries to get New England to jump, but they don’t budge. Field goal incoming. 3:50: Seattle going for it on a 4th-and-1 at the 15. 58 seconds to go. 3:38: Joey Slye’s 48-yard field goal is blocked. Seattle has the ball, down three, with 3:52 left in the game.3:36: Antonio Gibson reels off a 45-yard run. What a sequence. New England is on Seattle’s 25. 3:34: New England’s defense taking over.
#Patriots defense in the second half: downs, punt, punt, punt. Two three-and-outs and a fourth down stop.— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) September 15, 2024
3:30: Another game, another Keion White sack. Game-wrecker. 3:21: Touchdown Patriots. Patriots go for it on 4th-and-1 from Seattle’s 1-yard line — and Stevenson runs it into the end zone. Patriots take a 20-17 lead with 12:43 left on the clock. 3:19: New England catches a break. Stevenson fumbles, but New England recovers. 3rd-and-2 on Seattle’s 3. 3:14: New England moving the ball well this drive, with Stevenson and Gibson leading the way. New England has the ball on Seattle’s 10-yard line to close out the third quarter. 3:08: Jacoby Brissett back in the game for the next series. 3:07: Huge tackle by Marcus Jones to force a 3-and-out for Seattle. Quiet game so far in the third quarter. 3:04: Jacoby Brissett sacked by Leonard Williams — and he’s limping as he makes his way off the field. Looks like his right knee. He’s done a great job avoiding pressure today, but that was an awkward fall.2:57: New England forces yet another 3-and-out. 2:52: Patriots punting on a 4th and 1 from their own 34. 2:46: New England stops Seattle on 4th down on their own 25 yard line,. New England takes over. 2:44: Ja’Whaun Bentley downgraded to out. 2:38: Second half is underway. 2:25: Bad clock management by New England – and Seattle manages to get a 44-yard field goal to end the half. 17-13 Seahawks at halftime. 2:18: Brissett continues to avoid pressure, but he can’t hit Henry for a third-down conversion. Patriots punting. 2:15: Patriots defense (and some ugly penalties by Seattle) snuff out a double-score bid for the Seahawks. New England ahs the ball with 1:37 to to in the first half. 2:06: Patriots get some gifts on that drive, but another stalled red-zone sequence brings out Slye.14-13 Seahawks with 2:31 to go in the half.
Patriots settle for another field goal, with Slye’s 28-yard attempt making it a 14-13 game. Patriots 1-for-3 in the red zone.— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) September 15, 2024
2:01: Patriots sleeper agent Devon Witherspoon? Two terrible penalties by the Seattle CB on this drive. 2:00: The Hunter Henry game? 35-yard pickup on a TE screen. 1:54: Zach Charbonnet runs it in for a 1-yard touchdown. 14-10 Seattle with 5:47 left in the first half. 1:53: Ooof. Pass interference call against Marco Wilson has Seattle on the 1-yard line. Second DPI call for Wilson this season. 1:48: A whole lot of coverage busts by New England’s defense already. Wise used his length to disrupt Smith on a throw — with Metcalf well behind Gonzalez. 1:46: Raekwon McMillan replaces Ja’Whaun Bentley at linebacker on this drive. 1:41: Joey Slye’s 29-yard field goal is good. Patriots take a 10-7 lead with 11:05 left in the first half.Patriots use 15 plays to go 59 yards in 6 minutes, 45 seconds.1:36: Patriots announce that Ja’Whaun Bentley is questionable to return with a shoulder injury. 1:36: Five first downs for Henry already. 1:32: End First: Patriots and Seahawks are tied, 7-7. 1:30: Hunter Henry so far today: 4 targets, 4 catches, 47 yards. 1:24: Seahawks answer right back. Metcalf slips away and Geno Smith hits him for a 56-yard touchdown. 7-7 game with 2:50 left in the first. 1:21: Great drive from Brissett, who was 3-for-3 for 37 yards and three first downs on throws to Hunter Henry during that touchdown drive. 4-for-4, 42 yards overall on that drive. 1:19: Welcome to the NFL, Ja’Lynn Polk. He reels in a five-yard pass from Brissett for his first career touchdown. 7-0 Patriots with 4:56 left in the first.1:17: Brissett once again evades pressure, rolls out, extends the play and then hits Henry for 17 yards. New England on the 6-yard line. 1:15: Brissett slips away from pressure and hits Henry for a 12-yard pickup. Nice play by the QB. 1:14: Patriots pick up a first down after a 9-yard run from Stevenson and an 8-yard catch from Henry. 1:13: A 15-yard return by Marcus Jones has New England starting at the 40-yard line. 1:09: Jaylinn Hawkins breaks up a 3rd-and-long pass for Seattle. Seahawks punting. 1:09: Jennings and Peppers team up for a sack on Geno Smith. Doesn’t get credited, but Keion White made that play with his pass rush. What a force. 1:07: Christian Gonzalez matched up with D.K. Metcalf out of the gate. 1:04: Patriots go 3 and out to open the game. Brissett sacked on 3rd-and-2 by Mafe.
Boye Mafi getting active early. Gonna be a long day if they can’t block him.— Khari A. Thompson (@_KhariThompson) September 15, 2024
1:00: Seahawks win the coin toss. They defer. 12:58: Flyovers will never not be cool.12:55: Malcolm Butler is today’s “Keeper of the Light” at Gillette:12:37: Jerod Mayo on 98.5, speaking about Chuks Okorafor: “I had a conversation with Chuks, and first, it had nothing to do with football. I called him, and it had everything to do with the man. I wanted to make sure that he was good, in a good space and really considering and taking into consideration that this is what he wanted to do. But once again, I look at these as long-term relationships and care more about the individual than anything else.”12:33: The Bruins are also in the building. 12:25: Joe Mazzulla sighting! 12:20: Patriots O-line, based on warmups: LT: Vederian Lowe LG: Michael Jordan C: David Andrews RG: Layden Robinson RT: Michael Onwenu11:59: Wanna feel old? Tonight’s game is the first time the two teams will meet without Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll on either sideline since 1993.11:57: Joey Slye just booted a 64-yard kick in warmups. Ideal kicking conditions here at Gillette. 11:53: Gillette Stadium has been a house of horrors for New England over the last few seasons. The Patriots went 1-7 at Foxborough last year, and are just 9-16 at Gillette over the last three years.11:52: Tom Brady ready for Week 2 from Dallas.11:50: The silver pants are back today at Gillette Stadium:11:32: Seahawks inactives. New England catches a break with Kenneth Walker inactive. 11:31: Here are the Patriots inactives. Kayson Boutte sits, while rookie Javon Baker will make his debut. 11:18: Based on warmups, it looks like S Kyle Dugger, RG Layden Robinson and DL Deatrich Wise are trending towards playing today. All three were listed as questionable during the latest injury report. 11:15: New England’s O-line will be worth keeping tabs on today, especially with Chuks Okorafor leaving the team. For now, it falls on Vederian Lowe to hold things down at LT. 11:00: Greetings from Gillette Stadium!
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