Oh, how things change.
Last week, I wrote about the Patriots’ victory and how it was a pleasant surprise. On Sunday, I was brought back to reality.
All offseason, I said it will take years to get this team to be a playoff-caliber franchise – let alone, a contender. But after this overtime loss to Seattle, I can see clearly now: we’re headed for another four-win season (or something close).
Sunday, the offense did enough for the win – arguably – but it was the other side that let us down.
Making matters worse, news broke that middle linebacker and captain Ja’Whaun Bentley is out for the season with a torn pec. Bentley has been a cog in New England since he was drafted, and was a leader, to boot.
Aside from dreading the defense – which had one bad game – there is a pattern forming with the Patriots’ offense.
Jacoby Brissett, after 121 yards passing against the Bengals, only threw for 149 against the Seahawks. Of his 15 completions on Sunday, only three of them went to wide receivers.
Let’s be real here: three completions to receivers is unacceptable.
Early on, Brissett looked for his safety blanket and, to be fair, it worked. That would be Hunter Henry. The thing about patterns is, they’re easy to spot. Brissett only threw for 36 yards in the second half, mainly because the Seahawks started to focus in on Henry.
I don’t want to be a hypocrite, because I was the one saying Drake Maye shouldn’t start and I’m still on that boat. As much as Brissett is at fault for not spreading the ball around, he’s also facing pressure on nearly every dropback.
Sunday night during the Texans-Bears game, it reinforced my stance that Maye cannot go behind this offensive line unless we want him to get him killed – just like how Caleb Williams has been getting clobbered.
But when you watch the game back, there are plenty of instances when Brissett has a receiver wide open. In Week 1, Ja’Lynn Polk was open countless times, but Brissett either didn’t see him or was under too much pressure to release. Against the Seahawks, Demario Douglass was consistently open and rarely got a look.
If things don’t change by Week 6 or 7, I will understand the decision to bring Maye in.
The one thing that Maye can do that Brissett can’t: scramble. Maye can use his legs to get out of trouble. At the same time, he can launch the ball 50-plus yards on his back foot.
Maybe having a mobile quarterback will help the offensive line and the passing game, but until then, Brissett will have to do a better job of getting out of the pocket – and getting the ball to his outside playmakers.
Now, the Pats are traveling to New Jersey to face the “New York” Jets. Funny how that works.
