FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Seattle Seahawks opened its new season last weekend with an uneven effort that was good enough to secure coach Mike Macdonald's first career victory.
Seattle needed a spirited second-half effort to push past the Denver Broncos, but there was plenty of room for growth on both sides of the ball for the Seahawks to work towards in its second game of the season against the New England Patriots.
Here's what you need to know about Sunday morning's Week 2 matchup.
Game info
- Matchup: Patriots (1-0) vs. Seahawks (1-0)
- Time: Sunday, 10 a.m. PST
- Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
- Key Seahawks: Geno Smith (QB), Kenneth Walker III (RB), Tariq Woolen (CB)
- Key Patriots: Jacoby Brissett (QB), Rhamondre Stevenson (RB), Jabrill Peppers (FS)
Passing game
We've spent all offseason expecting the Seahawks offense under offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to take off.
That did not happen in Week 1, at least.
For one, the Seahawks battered offensive line took another hit when right tackle George Fant exited early in the first half. The team didn't help its offensive line either by pinning back the offense near the goalline, which led to two Broncos safeties.
Geno Smith did not have much time to throw against the Broncos, which forced the team to resort to shorter passes closer to the line of scrimmage. Smith finished with just 171 passing yards and 6.8 yards per attempt. Running back Zach Charbonnet had the team's longest reception (30 yards). Second-wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was not featured in the passing game either.
Perhaps the Seahawks are able to open up the playbook and push the ball down the field and replicate the success that Grubb saw at the University of Washington last season.
Can the Patriots pull off another upset?
Vegas oddsmakers had the Patriots as the biggest underdogs in the Week 1 slate.
The Patriots won anyway, frustrating the heavily favored Cincinnati Bengals and giving Jerrod Mayo his first National Football League (NFL) victory.
New England won its opening game to the Tom Brady teams in the early 2000s - by running the ball, simplifying the offense for its quarterback and bottling up the opposition's best player.
If the Patriots win again this week, they'll be well on their way to upending preseason predictions.
Game prediction
Seahawks 20, Patriots 14.
The Patriots' pesky defense makes this a close game, but Smith and company will make enough plays to earn a second consecutive victory.
