The New England Patriots began their post–Tom Brady era with a rousing 21-11 win over the Miami Dolphins in their opening game of the 2020 season. After an injury plagued final season with the Carolina Panthers, quarterback Cam Newton looked like his old self in his first game for the Patriots, proving that head coach Bill Belichick was right to take a chance and sign him in the offseason. The New England defense showed that it hasn’t lost a step as it flustered the Dolphins for most of the game.
The real test, however, comes in their Week 2 assignment against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX. The Seahawks let Wilson cook in their dominant opening win against the Atlanta Falcons, and will look to continue that against New England. While the Seahawks present a tougher challenger than the Dolphins, the Patriots have a chance to prove that they can compete with a title contender.
Here are three predictions that could happen when the teams face off at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.
1. Cam Newton will carry the ball more than 10 times again
Seeing Newton rumbling toward the goal line with the football wasn’t surprising, as he is one of the greatest rushing quarterbacks the league has seen. But what was unusual was seeing him doing it so many times after coming off a year that saw him sidelined with injuries.
The Patriots, however, seem to trust their quarterback. Against the Dolphins, the 2015 NFL MVP rushed 15 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns and was just as good in the air, converting 15 of 19 passes with 155 passing yards.
With not a lot of help at wide receiver, the Patriots will likely turn to Newton's rushing once more against the Seahawks. New England knows that it needs to maintain possession as long as it can to keep the ball from Wilson, and an effective way to do that is use their rushing attack. One difference between Newton and Brady is that he can use his feet as well as his arm, and Belichick has already designed and used plays to take advantage of this.
2. Julian Edelman has a big game and leads them in receiving
Speaking of Newton’s receivers, with the Patriots turning to their powerful run game, New England’s receivers didn’t get a lot of catches against Miami. Julian Edelman had five receptions and 57 receiving yards, while N’Keal Harry had 39 yards on five receptions. As good as New England’s run game is, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and the Seahawks have probably prepared for it. If their run game stalls, one option is for Newton to turn to his receivers, and with few other options, expect him to target Edelman more than he did against Miami.
Even in his 10th season for New England, the 34-year-old is still a potent weapon in their offense. He is coming off a 2019 season that saw him finish with a career-best 1,117 receiving yards, 100 receptions, and eight touchdowns. After a relatively quiet season opener, it might be time for the Patriots to get a big game out of their trusty receiver.
3. New England’s defense will keep things close
The Patriots enter the matchup against the Seahawks as considerable underdogs. For instance, none of ESPN’s NFL experts picked New England to win, and Seattle is likewise the betting favorite to remain undefeated. But for all of Newton’s brilliance against the Dolphins, the Patriots’ defense was just as impressive. Despite the loss of some key players, the defense was able to shut down Miami, limiting them to just 11 points. They were kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, and despite just tallying one sack, the secondary intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick three times.
Wilson, however, will be a tougher challenge. In 2019, he had just five interceptions in 16 games, one of the lowest marks in the league. New England allowed just 182 passing yards for Fitzpatrick, and that’s unlikely to continue against Wilson. Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty, and the rest of the Patriots’ secondary will have their work cut out for them, but if they can limit the Seahawks’ attack from the air, then this game could be closer than most people thought it would be and will prove that the Patriots can go toe-to-toe against a title contender like Seattle.
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