New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was overwhelmed by the Seattle Seahawks' defense in last season's Super Bowl. Series after series, Seattle shut down everything McDaniels tried to do, and the outcome of the game was quickly decided because of it.
McDaniels admitted as much on Sunday when speaking to the media ahead of his team's Week 1 matchup against head coach Mike Macdonald's team. The Pats OC admitted he was outcoached and hopes not to have a repeat of that game on Wednesday.
McDaniels said, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss, "I didn't do a good enough job. Point it at me. They 'out-everythinged' us in the game."
Patriots' Josh McDaniels admits to feeling overwhelmed by Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks
What unfolded in Seattle's 29-13 victory was brutal for Patriots fans. Their favorite team trailed 19-0 and didn't score until the fourth quarter, when the game was no longer in doubt. It wasn't just that Macdonald was better than McDaniels, which was obvious, but the speed and athleticism of the Seahawks' defense were far superior to the players New England had.
To remedy the problem ahead of 2026, New England acquired wide receiver AJ Brown, a mercurial player but an elite one. Entering Week 1, New England's offense should be in a better position to put up a tougher fight. This could be true because of the issues with health in Seattle's secondary, too.
Second-year pro Nick Emmanwori, a transformative player who can be moved around Macdonald's defensive alignments, seems unlikely to play due to having ankle surgery in July. Safety Ty Okada missed Sunday's practice with a hamstring injury. His status for Wednesday's game is unknown. Rookie safety Bud Clark is out for the season after breaking his ankle in the preseason.
Josh McDaniels knows that with a new season, new possibilities arise.
He added, "We have a lot of things we learned. But I think this will be a different game; I think it will be a new game. It's a new year. We have some different players. They have a few guys that are new. They certainly found some opportunities last year, and hopefully we've done a good job trying to limit those Wednesday night.
Seattle lost edge rusher Boye Mafe to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency and replaced him with veteran Dante Fowler Jr. The team also lost cornerback Riq Woolen to the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seahawks haven't found a true replacement for the moody Woolen yet.
None of that is to say the New England Patriots have a clear advantage against the Seattle Seahawks, because that isn't true. The game is still at Lumen Field, and the crowd will obviously be extremely loud. Seattle also still has Mike Macdonald, a proven problem for Josh McDaniels and the Pats.
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