A 2-0 start to the season was within reach for the New England Patriots, but their lack of firepower proved costly in Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
New England's passing game paled in comparison to Seattle's. While Seahawks wide receivers combined for 27 catches and 282 yards -- including a 56-yard DK Metcalf touchdown -- Patriots wideouts totaled three catches for 19 yards. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was dependent on tight end Hunter Henry, who led the team in receptions (eight) and yards (109).
To NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insider Tom E. Curran, this glaring receiver discrepancy was the difference in the Patriots' deflating defeat.
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"You visit the crime scene, you're gonna see a lot of smoking guns when you start to go deep on this one," Curran said on Patriots Postgame Live. "And I'm gonna give you one that maybe you haven't considered yet. The Seattle Seahawks had 24 catches for 261 yards from their wide receivers (Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett). The Patriots had four catches for 26 yards (including Antonio Gibson's one catch for seven yards).
"It really comes down to a roster situation. We could talk about the blocked field goal, we could talk about the sack, we could talk about a breakdown defensively that allows DK Metcalf to score a 56-yard touchdown. But the Patriots have to work so hard and they just don't have the artillery to do it. So, they're playing at about 97 percent of their capacity, and they're still not gonna win if they have one or two mistakes."
Ja'Lynn Polk led all Patriots receivers with only two catches -- one for his first NFL touchdown -- and 12 yards. K.J. Osborn had one catch for seven yards.
The absence of a true No. 1 wideout in New England's offense has been a concern for several seasons. But even if Jerod Mayo's group had an elite receiver, getting him the ball would be a struggle for Brissett.
The offensive line did Brissett zero favors on Sunday as the Seahawks defense tallied three sacks and eight QB hits. The veteran signal-caller was shaken up on multiple occasions but remained in the game.
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"The number one problem with this game, even though they ran the football as much as they did, it's pass protection. Pass protection was terrible," Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said. "Jacoby ... was running for his life the whole time, and so it's the offensive line -- I mean, it wasn't just Vederian Lowe, it wasn't just Michael Jordan. It was Mike Onwenu, who you rely on as a guy that you don't think you even have to worry about. He's given up sacks, he's given up pressures. Layden Robinson, who balled out in that first game, gave up a sack.
"The offensive line is gonna be the Achilles heel of this team because the passing game has to get better. We know they can run with dominance, but to win games like this and in the future, you have to throw the ball better and the only way you can do that is to have an offensive line that protects your quarterback better than what they protected Jacoby today."
Brissett finished 15-for-27 with 149 passing yards and one TD.
On the bright side, the Patriots run game shined for the second consecutive week. Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson combined for 177 yards on 32 carries.
New England will look to bounce back this Thursday night when it visits Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets for an AFC East showdown. Both teams are 1-1 heading into the Week 3 matchup.
Watch Curran, Johnson, and Michael Holley's full instant reaction to the Patriots' Week 2 loss below, or on YouTube: