Through two weeks of the Jerod Mayo era there haven't been many things that would qualify as surprises. Speaking at one of his pre-practice press conferences during training camp, Mayo took the time to answer a question about the new kickoff rules to explain his intentions to run the ball, lean on his defense and play sound football.
That's exactly how the Patriots have played the vast majority of the 125-plus minutes thus far this season.
But there's a problem that comes with such a style, regardless of how well it is executed. Running the ball, leaning on defense and avoiding mistakes will keep you in virtually every game but won't ensure victory – as the Patriots found out in the overtime loss to Seattle.
In many ways, the Week 2 effort was at least as good as the opening victory in Cincinnati. The Patriots piled up the rushing yards (185 to 170 in Cincy), held onto the football (zero turnovers in both games), committed few penalties (6 to 5 in Cincy) and held the Seahawks off the scoreboard often enough to win.
But unlike the Bengals, Seattle mounted a comeback and managed to drive to the tying score on the final possession. So, instead of a 16-10 victory, the Patriots found themselves knotted at 20 after surrendering the field goal in the closing seconds.
The games illustrate just how narrow the Patriots path to victory is. There were but a scant few differences (no turnovers created, blocked field goal) yet one effort was good enough to win while the other fell painfully short.
Get used to it, because until they are able to fix the offense the Patriots will need to be near flawless in order to win – and that's an awfully difficult way to make a living.
No NFL teams consistently avoid mistakes throughout every game. There will be coverage breakdowns like the one that allowed D.K. Metcalf to split Kyle Dugger and Christian Gonzalez for a 56-yard touchdown. There will be bad punt coverage at inopportune times like late in the first half when Seattle's Dee Williams raced 23 yards in the final minute to help the Seahawks close the half with a field goal. And there will be bad breaks like the pass interference penalty called on Jonathan Jones that helped Seattle's game-winning drive in overtime.
The most talented teams have the ability to overcome a misstep or two. As currently constituted the Patriots are not one of them, and it's more likely to get worse before it improves. The team walked the fine line throughout the first two weeks and for the most part was on the right side of the bounces. Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled once in each game, but the Patriots recovered both times. The Seahawks dropped a half dozen passes and committed some terribly avoidable penalties to short circuit drives when it appeared as if they were about to take control, just as Cincinnati's Tanner Hudson foolishly was reckless with ball as he was about to cross the goal line and was stripped by Dugger in the opener.
Over the course of the season, those plays won't always go New England's way, and the outcomes may not be quite as tight when they don't.
That's why the offense needs to find a way to be more productive. Running the ball is great and has allowed the team to remain competitive, but it's a hard way to light up the scoreboard. Even with the Madden-like rushing totals in the first two weeks, the Patriots remained mired below the 24-point mark, averaging 18 per game.
Alex Van Pelt must find a way to shore up the pass protection and figure out how to get Jacoby Brissett to push the ball downfield. The wide receivers have been a non-factor in both games. K.J. Osborn is the wideout's leader with four catches for 28 yards. In two full games (including one that went to overtime) the entire wide receiver corps has 11 catches for 85 yards combined.
The old adage is you throw to score and run to win. The idea behind that is teams need to make plays in the passing game to put points on the board and then grind out the clock behind a solid running game. The offense has the second part down, but unless the first part comes to fruition every game will rely on the defense to dominate.
It's unrealistic to expect more than a few victories if the opponent needs only to get past 20 or so to win. As inept and uninspired as the Bengals looked in the opener, Cincy probably should have had at least 17 points if not for the aforementioned Hudson blunder. Again, realistically the Patriots defense can't play much better than it did in the opener, and still it almost wasn't enough.
Van Pelt has no easy task trying to fix an offensive line that is already bruised and battered and managing to unlock the passing game. But unless he does, the offense will remain limited and unproductive.
Keep it to yourself
The aftermath of Tua Tagovailoa's latest concussion, the third documented incident of his NFL career, has been fraught with all sorts of unsolicited medical advice. Fans and media types rushed to X, formerly Twitter, to implore Tagovailoa to call it a career, explaining how he needs "to do the right thing" for himself and his family.
Even Raiders coach Antonio Pierce felt compelled to offer his thoughts, suggesting that Tagovailoa should retire.
Personally, I found it all quite distasteful. As troubling as the images of a prone Tagovailoa were, it's not up to us to decide how he should choose to live his life. And the fact that another team's head coach, particularly one who played the game, felt it was within his rights to weigh in should at the very least be an offense worthy of a fine. It probably should rise to the level of tampering but regardless it was completely unprofessional and frankly none of Pierce's business.
Not every situation is the same, and even though we saw Tagovailoa in the so-called fencing position with his arms prone while lying flat on his back it doesn't mean he unequivocally should never step on the field again. He has already met with medical personnel and will continue to consult with neurologists to see what course of action is best for him. Not for the media. Not for fans. And most certainly not for the Raiders head coach. What's best for him, based on his health and the information he's getting from people who are treating him.
It's easy to watch players get banged up and not like what we see. Unfortunately, it's part of the game. And it's probably worthy of a whole separate discussion, but I don't think it's a coincidence that two of these concussions have come on Thursday nights, just four days after the previous game.
No one wants to see players putting their well-being at risk, least of all me. But I also understand that I don't have the information necessary to have an opinion on the matter. If Tagovailoa wants to continue playing, he's more than within his rights to do so – even if it makes others uncomfortable.
Extra points
The Bills are 2-0 after an impressive blasting of the Dolphins on the road on a short week. It's just two games but it seems like offensive coordinator Joe Brady is succeeding in taking some of the burden off Josh Allen as the perennial MVP candidate hasn't needed to take on the entirety of the load for the Bills. Through two games, the Bills quarterback has completed 31 of 42 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns – which normally would represent a typical Allen game. Buffalo has put up 34 and 31 points in the pair of wins to open the season, so the production without Stefon Diggs remains high. …
It's hard to watch what's going on in Carolina, where the 0-2 Panthers have been non-competitive and first-year head coach Dave Canales chose to bench quarterback Bryce Young. Young was awful in both starts, throwing for a career-low 84 yards in the Week 2 loss to the Chargers. The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 will now sit and watch Andy Dalton run the show while Carolina tries to rebuild after unloading several of their best players in recent seasons. Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Brian Burns were all dealt in their prime years in an effort to clear the decks to get Young. Two games into his sophomore season, he's sitting on the bench watching Dalton run the show. Yikes. …
The Vikings are arguably the league's most surprising team through two weeks. Few thought much of the opening win over the Giants, but Sunday's impressive 23-17 victory over the Niners caught some attention. Sam Darnold has been excellent thus far and looks like a steady veteran presence in Minnesota. … If that surprising title doesn't belong to Minnesota than perhaps it's New Orleans. The Saints dismantled the Cowboys in Dallas with Alvin Kamara turning in a four-touchdown tour de force. The Saints are also 2-0.
Power 5
1. Kansas City (2-0) – The Chiefs continue to blend greatness with good fortune and keep on rolling.
2. Buffalo (2-0) – The Bills offense hasn't missed a beat without Stefon Diggs thus far.
3. San Francisco (1-1) – Despite the loss, I'm still a believer in the Niners talent.
4. Houston (2-0) – C.J. Stroud is mature beyond his years and looks poised to be the next great one.
5. Detroit (1-1) – Dan Campbell is an emotional coach and at times that hurts his team. But the Lions will heard from going forward.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
