Patriots

Both attacking lines could be a bit overwhelmed in Sunday’s game.

The Patriots have a chance to close the gap to 2-0 on Sunday, something virtually no one would have thought possible at the start of the 2024 season.

Of course, they must first beat the Seahawks to remain undefeated on the young season. Seattle is also 1-0 after beating the Denver Broncos 26-20 last week.

As the Week 2 clash approaches, here are five things you should know about Sunday’s game, between specific headlines, key matchups and interesting facts.

The Seahawks will likely be without one of their best playmakers.

The participation of the Seahawks starting running back, Kenneth Walker, for Sunday’s game has been questionable since Saturday afternoon due to an oblique injury.

If Walker can’t play at all, it would certainly be a blow to Seattle. The third-year running back rushed for 1,955 yards at 4.4 yards per carry in his first two seasons. He opened his 2024 season with a bang, rushing for 103 yards at 5.2 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown against the Broncos. He also had two receptions.

Walker’s performance against Denver was much needed. Geno Smith had an unspectacular game, completing 18 of 25 passes for 171 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Zach Charbonnet was even more mediocre in his role as the Seahawks’ secondary back, managing just 12 yards on eight carries.

Charbonnet would likely start at running back for the Seahawks if Walker is unable to play Sunday. He rushed for 462 yards at 4.3 yards per carry as a rookie, but Charbonnet struggled in the two games in which he was Seattle’s best running back in 2023. Against the 49ers, he rushed for 47 yards at 3.4 yards per carry and a week later, with Walker out, he managed a 60-yard day at 3.2 yards per carry against the Cowboys.

The Patriots’ run defense was arguably the best in the NFL last season, so Walker’s absence would tip the tide even more in New England’s favor in that regard. New England allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards and fewest yards per carry in 2023. Last week, they gave up just 70 rushing yards against Cincinnati.

Seattle’s pass protection was below average in 2023 and struggled in Week 1.

If you’re hoping Keion White will put in another stellar performance in Week 2, you might be in luck.

The Seahawks’ offensive line has been largely disappointing since the start of the 2023 season. Pro Football Focus ranked the group as the 28th-best unit in 2023 and shared that it had the fourth-worst pass-blocking efficiency last season (239 pressures allowed on 635 dropbacks). In addition, the Seahawks’ offensive line ranked 25th in pass-blocking win rate (53 percent).

Against the Broncos, those numbers were even worse in Week 1. Seattle allowed eight pressures on 18 dropbacks (44.4 percent) and achieved a pass block win rate of 36 percent.

The Patriots defense had a solid performance against the Bengals last week. White had 2.5 sacks while Joshua Uche recorded three pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Overall, they had nine pressures on the Bengals’ 38 dropbacks.

Seattle’s pass rush poses a problem for New England.

Conversely, the Seahawks’ defensive front might be more superior to the Patriots’ offensive line than vice versa.

Seattle recorded 21 pressures on Denver’s 51 dropbacks last week (41.2 percent pressure rate), according to PFF. Additionally, the pass rush win rate was 45 percent.

Last season’s performance suggests these numbers are no fluke. The Seahawks’ 36 percent pressure rate last season was the 13th best mark in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. They also had a 42 percent pass rush win rate in 2023.

Seattle had several contributors along the defensive line that contributed to that high number of pressures last week. Edge rusher Boye Mafe was most responsible for that, recording one sack and nine pressures, according to PFF. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams had five pressures, while rookie first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy also had two pressures.

It’s no secret that New England’s offensive line has struggled in pass defense over the past few seasons. After finishing last in pass block win rate in 2023, the Patriots had just a 46 percent pass block win rate in Week 1. They also allowed 11 pressure situations in 17 true pass sets, according to PFF.

Geno Smith did indeed win against the Patriots, but he has not played particularly well against New England in his career.

On Sunday, Smith will face the Patriots for the first time as a member of the Seahawks, but he has already won against them in the past.

Smith led the Jets to an upset victory over the Patriots as quarterback in Week 7 of the 2013 season, scoring a 30-27 win. This game came during Smith’s rookie season, with the quarterback throwing for 233 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

The other three meetings between Smith and the Patriots took place in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Smith, who started all three games for the Jets, threw two touchdowns and four interceptions in those three meetings. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo even had six tackles in one of those games.

After battling injuries during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Smith played several times before joining the Seahawks in 2019. He turned his career around in the 2022 season, leading Seattle to the playoffs and being named Comeback Player of the Year.

Smith was named a Pro Bowler for the second time in his career in 2023. In 15 games, he threw for 3,624 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a passer rating of 92.1, a far cry from what he achieved during his seasons with the Jets.

It will be the first time since 1993 that the two teams have met without Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll on either sideline.

The last six games between the Patriots and Seahawks have featured at least one of Belichick or Carroll, but that won’t be the case this Sunday, as both teams lost their previous head coaches in the offseason.

It should be noted, however, that the Patriots and Seahawks never met in the three seasons that Carroll was New England’s head coach (1997-99). In fact, the Patriots and Seahawks did not face each other at all between the 1994-2003 seasons, which is bizarre considering the two teams were in the AFC until the 2002 season.

This will mark the first time since the 1993 season that neither Belichick nor Carroll will be playing in a Patriots game against the Seahawks. The two teams have met twice this year and the Patriots lost both games.