Was the New England Patriots' Week 1 upset of the Cincinnati Bengals just a flash in the pan, or a precursor to future success?
That question will be top of mind when the Patriots host the 1-0 Seattle Seahawks in their home opener on Sunday. And one way to answer it is to look at New England's stats from Week 1 and predict whether the team will exceed or fall short of those numbers in Week 2.
That's the premise of "Total Insight," a new segment on Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast in which Curran and fellow Patriots Insider Phil Perry preview the week ahead by making "over" or "under" predictions in high-level stat categories.
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Can Rhamondre Stevenson deliver an encore after his 120-yard effort in Cincinnati? Will DeMario Douglas be more involved after catching just two passes in the season opener? Here are Curran and Perry's predictions as heard on Patriots Talk, followed by their final score predictions.
Jacoby Brissett passing yards (Week 1 total: 121)
Perry: UNDER
"I think the Seahawks defense is really scary in terms of their pass defense. Their run defense, meanwhile... It was fine last week against the Broncos, four yards per carry. Last year? Stunk. They were 31st in the league in terms of rush EPA allowed and they were 29th in the league in terms of rush success rate allowed. The Patriots are gonna run, run, run the football this week."
Curran: OVER
"Over 121; 121 is a meager amount, Phil. That's 30 a quarter."
Rhamondre Stevenson rushing yards (Week 1 total: 120)
Curran: UNDER
"I say that's going under. The Seattle Seahawks will come in on a mission and say, 'You know what? You're gonna talk about running the ball and not caring who knows about it? We're gonna come in with stopping the run and not caring who knows about it. We're gonna stop your run.'"
Perry: UNDER
"I think it's gonna be another big day for Rhamondre Stevenson, but it will go under 120."
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DeMario Douglas receptions (Week 1 total: 2)
Curran: OVER
"Gotta get him the ball. It's over in my mind -- it's gotta be over."
Perry: OVER
"It has to be. He's too important. He's always open. It's gotta be three or more."
Patriots team sacks (Week 1 total: 3)
Perry: OVER
"Three is a good number, and I'm going to go over. I think they're gonna be able to exploit old Stone Forsythe (Seahawks offensive tackle) if he's in there again this week."
Points allowed (Week 1 total: 10)
Curran: OVER
"Ten is aggressively low. Even though Seattle is not a wagon, they do have D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and a very good running back (Kenneth Walker)."
Perry: OVER
I'm gonna go over 10 as well. The Patriots were inches away from being more in the 17-ish range in terms of points allowed last week against Cincinnati. So, it's gonna be over 10."
Joey Slye field goals (Week 1 total: 3)
Perry: OVER
"Joey Slye will have two field goals because I know the final score in my head, and he needs two field goals for that final score to come to fruition."
Final score predictions
Perry: Patriots 13, Seahawks 12
Curran: Patriots 13, Seahawks 12