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The New England Patriots kicked off their 2024 campaign in a way that not many folks were expecting with a 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. With virtually no expectations given their billing as one of the worst teams in the league, the Pats win against a presumed Super Bowl contender in the Bengals was the biggest upset from the first week of the new season.
In earning their first victory of the season, the Patriots did what they failed to do virtually all of last season. They played a mistake-free game on the offensive side of the ball, while swarming Cincy on both defense and special teams. The Bengals were a mess, and it was the Pats game plan and preparation that largely helped them prevail.
In the process, New England created the blueprint for how they will win games this season. They aren't going to overpower teams, but if they can play mistake-free football, while capitalizing on their opponents mistakes, chances are they will be a far better team than folks were expecting them to be. And heading into Week 2, that's exactly what they need to do if they want to beat the Seattle Seahawks.
Patriots must recreate Week 1 game plan in order to beat Seahawks
The Patriots didn't exactly hide their game plan ahead of their matchup with the Bengals. Their hope was to pound the football on the ground against their weak run defense, while creating pressure on Joe Burrow in the pocket on defense to make him uncomfortable. Again, Cincinnati helped them in some areas, but it was impressive to see the game plan executed so well.
Rhamondre Stevenson had a huge game on the ground for the Patriots (25 CAR, 120 YDS, 1 TD), which helped make up for the fact that Jacoby Brissett only threw for one more yard than he ran for in this game. But that's the team New England is; they don't have the playmakers in the passing game, or the right personnel on the offensive line, to allow them to constantly throw the football.
It's refreshing to see a game plan tailored to the team's strengths on offense after their moribound 2023 campaign. For much of the year, the Patriots offense was spinning their wheels trying to figure out who they were. Heading into 2024, they already know who they are, which helps make up for the lack of playmaking talent they have across the board.
The team's real strength is their defense, which was on full display against Cincinnati. It certainly helped that Tee Higgins didn't play, and Ja'Marr Chase was battling an illness, while also not practicing with the team at all during training camp, but again, props need to be given to Jerod Mayo and the rest of the coaching staff for having the team prepared for this game.
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On paper, the Seahawks aren't as talented of a team as the Bengals are, but they pose just as much of a threat to the Pats. Heck, every team does when you have the low expectations that New England currently finds themselves with. But in beating Cincinnati, New England saw that their game plan and fundamentals are sound, and they can build off of that in Week 2.
How they achieve victory against the Seahawks will probably look a bit different than it did against the Bengals. In Week 1, the Seahawks run defense held the Denver Broncos running backs to an average of 3.2 yards per carry, so it may be a bit more difficult for Stevenson and company to find room to run on the ground. On the other side of the ball, Seattle will lean on their own running game more than Cincy did, with Kenneth Walker III putting up a big performance of his own against Denver (20 CAR, 103 YDS, 1 TD).
Seattle made their fair share of mistakes in Week 1, such as committing a pair of safeties, but they overcame it by forcing Bo Nix, who made his NFL debut, into some mistakes. Nix threw a pair of picks throughout the day, and Jaleel McLaughlin lost a fumble, which allowed the Seahawks to overcome their assortment of mishaps. If New England wants to win, they cannot afford to make those mistakes.
That's where having Brissett, who is known for his ability to protect the football, makes a world of a difference for New England. The Seahawks defense has an assortment of guys who are capable of making game-changing plays to help their team win. They proved as much against Denver, and you can bet after seeing Stevenson torch the Bengals, they are going to load the box in an effort to make his life more difficult, while also forcing Brissett to throw the ball more often in this one.
A good defensive performance will help make things easier for New England, which is what happened in Week 1. The Seahawks have an assortment of playmakers, such as the aforementioned Walker at running back, and a trio of talented wide receivers in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but they occasionally have trouble protecting the football with Geno Smith under center.
While the actual game plan may look a bit different, the path to victory remains the same, and it will for much of the season. If the Patriots can limit their mistakes, while feasting off of their opponents mishaps, they could end up being a .500 team. The challenge will be adapting to what teams throw at them throughout the year, and we will get our real first taste of what this team can accomplish when they take on the Seahawks on Sunday.
