Seahawks Week 2 scouting report vs the New England Patriots

The Seattle Seahawks christened the Mike Macdonald era with a sloppy but effective 26-20 victory over the Denver Broncos last Sunday. The game largely went according to expectations, with the exception of several potentially disastrous first-half mistakes. That kept a scrappy Bronco team in the match longer than necessary.

But the Seahawks defense simply proved too much for a developing Denver offense to handle, and Seattle’s offense came alive in the second half to secure the win. Now, Macdonald takes his team on the road for the first time, traveling across the country to Foxboro, home of the New England Patriots.

What can Hawks fans expect from the former dynasty? Let’s do a quick scouting report on this year’s New England Patriots.

The scouting report for the Seattle Seahawks against the Denver Broncos

Last Year

But let’s start with last year because it was foundation-shattering for the once-proud franchise. In 2023, the Patriots continued a downward trend that began with the departure of Tom Brady in 2020. They had been hovering around .500 for a few seasons, staying in playoff contention, before bottoming out last year.

Their 4-13 record was one of the worst in the league, and their worst in more than thirty years. It led to the abandonment of the Mac Jones quarterback experiment and, most importantly, led to the departure of Mount Rushmore coach, Bill Belichick.

The Pats’ defense was still pretty good in ‘23, even with the loss of star pass rusher Matt Judon for most of the season. But the offense was dreadful. And they had done very little to address the problem in the 2023 off-season, which had fans rightly questioning whether Belichick could lead a team that could still compete for championships in 2024 and beyond.

So Belichick left. Mac Jones left. Matt Judon left. Ezekiel Elliott, Devante Parker, and Bailey Zappe left. Head coach-in-waiting Jerod Mayo took over the team and began assembling a new roster, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Seven of their eight draft picks were offensive players, including prized quarterback Drake Maye, taken with the third overall pick. They drafted wideouts with big play potential. They tried to beef up a suspect offensive line. They grabbed a sleeper tight end late.

On defense, they mainly focused on maintaining the corps they already had, extending players like safeties Jabril Peppers and Kyle Dugger, defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Christian Barmore, and linebacker Jahlani Tavai. They also extended two of their best offensive players – center David Andrews and running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

Mayo also revamped the coaching staff, especially on offense, where new OC Alex Van Pelt leads an almost entirely new group of position coaches. Mayo promoted former defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to the role of defensive coordinator and brought in Jeremy Springer from the Rams to head up special teams.

Last Week

So how did the wholesale changes work out in week one? Pretty darn well. The Patriots went on the road to face a Cincinnati squad that was favored by more than a touchdown and came out with a 16-10 win. The team played a smart, controlled game. The defense was excellent, and the offense was efficient enough.

Veteran Jacoby Brissett started ahead of Maye at quarterback and played exactly how you’d expect. He did not challenge the Bengals downfield, but he was effective on shorter throws. Most importantly, he got rid of the ball quickly, which helped his work-in-progress offensive line hold up better than expected. He did not turn the ball over.

New OC Van Pelt presided over a potent running attack in Cleveland and everyone knew that if the Patriots were to be productive on offense, it would have to be on the ground. Against the Bengals, Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 120 yards at almost 5 yards per pop. That maligned offensive line run-blocked extremely well. For the game, the Pats racked up 170 yards on the ground and held the ball eight minutes longer than the Bengals.

On defense, the final score says it all. They held Cincy to 10 points. Joe Burrow had just 164 yards through the air and no touchdowns. He was sacked three times. Second-year lineman Keion White, who moved into Matt Judon’s locker this offseason, was a monster, lining up all along the line and making plays in the backfield all game. The Pats also scooped up two fumbles by Bengals receivers.

New kicker Joey Slye converted all three of his field goals.

We shouldn’t read too much into one win, especially considering the Bengals under Zac Taylor have been notoriously slow starters and their offense played this game without one star receiver – Tee Higgins – while another elite wideout – Jamarr Chase – played after sitting out all of training camp. This was not the Bengals at their best, but it was nonetheless an impressive showing by Mayo and his team.

What to expect Sunday

On offense, the Pats will try to pound the ball. It will be a steady diet of Stevenson right, left, and middle. Brissett will not try to challenge the Hawks' secondary deep. For one thing, that would require holding the ball longer and allowing the pass rush to attack a still-suspect line. And until Kendrick Bourne returns from injury and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker prove their worth, they simply do not have the firepower on the outside to worry the Hawks’ talented secondary.

However, Brissett does have a trio of quality tight ends at his disposal as well as a good receiving back in Antonio Gibson to work the shorter throws. He may not challenge deep, but Hawks’ linebackers and safeties will have to be on their game to run with the likes of Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, and Jaheim Bell.

On defense, New England will look to pressure Geno Smith all day. White is an ascending star and he gets plenty of help from the likes of Deatrich Wise, Jr., Ja’Wuan Bentley, and Josh Uche. They will test the Hawks' line and will make it difficult to take a lot of deep shots. New England has a solid group of ball-hawking corners in Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, and Marcus Jones. Geno will need to find the right balance between protecting the ball and giving his receivers opportunities to make big plays.

Christian Barmore is dealing with blood clot issues that will keep him off the field for a while, and that hurts the Pats’ run defense. Look for Kenneth Walker III to run 25 times or more, The Pats have a couple of excellent safeties in Jabril Peppers and Kyle Dugger. Both are big strong tacklers but Dugger can be beaten in coverage. If Seattle can get Walker going, it should bring the safeties up and allow for bigger plays downfield.

In terms of game script, it is essential that Seattle not make the same mistakes they made against Denver early on. New England’s best chance will be to get out to an early lead and then turn the contest into a slugfest. They want to run the ball and milk the clock, relying on their defense to keep things close. If Seattle can play a clean game and get out in front, it could be a rout. New England will not play well from behind. But if the Hawks give them some breaks and let them play with a lead, it will be a struggle all day long.

In many ways, these teams are carbon copies of each other. Both have veteran quarterbacks who will mostly take what the defense allows. Both have strong running games but also have questions along the offensive line. Both teams rely on their defenses to dictate play.

But the Hawks have two major advantages. Geno Smith is a better bet at quarterback than Jacoby Brissett, even though Brissett is a solid player. Geno can make big plays at key moments better than Brissett can. Even more obviously, Seattle has a group of big-play receivers that supply a level of firepower the Pats simply cannot match. In the end, that should be the difference.

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