The New England Patriots were outshined in the passing game during Sunday's overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw for only 149 yards and was hit eight times (three sacks) behind a shaky offensive line.
Tight end Hunter Henry accounted for 109 yards on eight catches. Patriots wide receivers, on the other hand, totaled only three catches for 19 yards while Seahawks wideouts combined for 27 catches and a whopping 282 yards. DeMario Douglas, who had 49 catches as a rookie last season, wasn't targeted once in the 23-20 defeat.
A similar performance won't cut it in Thursday night's showdown with the New York Jets. So, what adjustments can Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt make to improve the passing game going forward?
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Former Pats linebacker Ted Johnson shared his take on Monday's episode of The Breakdown.
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"They've got to figure out this offensive line, first and foremost," Johnson said. "That is the biggest problem. If you can't protect, you don't have a chance. You have to get this offensive line going.
"What I would do if I was Alex Van Pelt is design plays to get the ball out a lot quicker. The plays are just taking too long to develop downfield. Do a lot more play-action, a little sleight of hand, and get the ball out quick to your receivers and let them catch the ball and go make plays running with the ball instead of throwing it downfield."
The Patriots' offensive line has allowed the second-highest pressure rate (44.3 percent) in the league through the first two weeks of the season, per Next Gen Stats. Brissett has already taken 15 hits.
Getting Douglas and the rest of the receiving corps more involved will be key to the Patriots taking down the Jets on Thursday Night Football. Both teams enter the Week 3 matchup with 1-1 records.
Watch the full episode of The Breakdown below or on YouTube: