The Seattle Seahawks went into Foxborough and beat the New England Patriots, 23-20 in overtime, putting a damper on their home opener. Weirdly, the game went the opposite of Week 1 for the Seattle offense; a good first half (17 points), then sputtered in the 2nd half (3 points) before Jason Meyers hit the game-winning field goal in OT.

Quarterback Geno Smith starred for the Seahawks, throwing for 327 yards on 33/44 pass attempts & 1 TD. He was asked to carry the offense due to star running back Kenneth Walker III missing the game through an abdomen injury and his replacement not doing much.

Backup RB Zach Charbonnet replaced K-9 in the starting lineup and was largely ineffective (14 carries for 38 yards), outside of his 1-yard touchdown and 3rd down catch in OT. If we’re being honest the running game was very poor with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb almost totally abandoning it by the end of the game. Charbonnet has no wiggle or ability to make an opponent miss. If the offense needs 3 yards, he can get 3 yards. If the offense needs 6 yards, he can get 3 yards. His celling might be a 3rd down back.

This was the breakout game all Seahawks fans had been hoping for from 2nd year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Last week, Geno Smith targeted him early in the first quarter, but learned more towards his veteran options as the game progressed. Up to this point, JSN’s career high’s were 7 receptions and 63 yards. He obliterated those numbers after hauling in 12 receptions for 117 yards against New England. Most of his catches came on short/intermediate routes, due to his precise route running. The Patriots couldn’t adjust. No matter what coverage they ran (man-to-man or zone) JSN found the hole and exploited it. He also overcame a couple of drops too or else his day would’ve been even bigger. He and Geno have developed good chemistry pretty quickly that should only further deepen as the season progresses. Buy all the JSN stock you can now because his rise is just beginning.

Seattle’s no. 1 WR DK Metcalf also put together a stellar game, including a sick 56-yard TD when the Patriots secondary got their wires crossed, off a very good play-design by Ryan Grubb, and he took advantage of the busted coverage to high-step his way into the endzone. After scoring, he attempted to recreate the famous 1851 painting, Washington Crosses the Delaware – Emanuel Leutze. He stood by the Patriots endzone militia, guys who dress up in olde tyme American Revolution outfits & fire off muskets when the Pats score, and pretended to lead them across the river like George Washington in the boat. Kudos to him for coming up with a very inventive and non-offensive TD celebration. The star receiver finished the game with 10 receptions for 127 yards & 1 TD. He also could’ve had a bigger game due to a couple of easy drops.

With the passing game leading the way, the offensive line had to give Geno Smith enough time to let the WR’s routes develop. They did a good job keeping the pass rush at bay, outside of the 3 New England sacks and 7 QB hits. Geno also did an incredible job of stepping up in the pocket and evading pressure. On the flip side, their run blocking was terrible. It felt like they got bullied by the Pats every time they tried to run the ball. Zach Charbonnet only made it to the 2nd level of the defense a handful of times and was quickly taken to the ground. Ryan Grubb will need to figure out the running game ASAP.

The other pass catchers, outside of DK Metcalf & Jaxon Smith-Njigba, were largely non-existent: Zach Charbonnet (5 receptions for 31 yards), Tyler Lockett (2 receptions for 15 yards), Jake Bobo (2 receptions for 15 yards), Noah Fant (1 receptions for 14 yards), & Laviska Shenault Jr. (1 receptions for 6 yards). It worked against the Patriots, only throwing to 2 receivers, but Geno Smith will need to spread the ball around better going forward.

For the 2nd week in a row, the Seahawks defense gave up 20 points and was overall solid. The front-7 played OK with linebackers Tyrel Dodson (8 tackles), Tyrice Knight (7 tackles) and Jerome Baker (4 tackles & 1 pass defended) racking up a bunch of stops. The pass rush got after Jacoby Brissett fairly well, totaling 3 sacks (Leonard Williams – 1.5, Boye Mafe – 1 & Byron Murphy II – 0.5) and 8 QB hits (Mafe – 2, Williams – 4, Murphy II – 1 & Derick Hall – 1). In fact, Seattle got their hands on Brissett multiple other times, but weren’t strong enough to get him to the ground. It’s something they definitely need to clean up or else it could cost them in the future.

The secondary led the way for the defense with Rayshawn Jenkins (9 tackles), Julian Love (7 tackles & 1 pass defended), Devon Witherspoon (7 tackles), K’Von Wallace (4 tackles) and Riq Woolen (3 tackles) all getting involved. The coverage was generally very good, except on New England tight end Hunter Henry, who had a great game (8 receptions for 109 yards). It felt like he found the holes in the defense every time he went out for a pass, including a couple of times when Jacoby Brissett was flushed out of the pocket with Henry working back to the QB for a couple of easy receptions. Outside of him, the New England pass attack was mostly limp. Their running attack was the heart of their offense.

Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson (21 carries for 81 yards & 1 TD) and especially Antonio Gibson (11 carries for 96 yards) were very good against Seattle. The first two New England drives in the 2nd half were pass-heavy, ending with them going 3-and-out. Alex Van Pelt, Patriots offensive coordinator, then decided to focus on running the ball and it worked wonders. The next drive went for 11-play, 66-yards with the Pats running on 9 of the 11 plays, including a 1-yard TD when Stevenson took the snap from the wildcat formation and barreled into the endzone. The same thing happened on the next New England drive when they ran on 6 of the 8 plays. Smashing through the Seahawks. Although, their defense tightened up at the edge of the redzone, forcing a field goal that was eventually blocked by Julian Love; a game-saving play. The blocked FG felt like a turning point for Seattle that jumpstarted their offense and gave their defense renewed life, as the final two Pats drives ended in 3-and-out’s.

Up to the blocked FG, the Seahawks offense had done nothing in the 2nd half: turnover on downs, 3-and-out, 3-and-out and 5-and-out. A lot of wasted opportunities. After the blocked FG, Geno Smith put together a smart drive leading the team down for the game-tying field goal. There was a split-second when the offense came back in on a 4th-and-1, looking like they were going to go for it (they were already in FG range), but ultimately opting to take a delay of game penalty after trying to get New England to jump offsides. Geno was 1 of 2 on QB sneaks on 4th down in the game, so it was a relief when the FG unit trotted in and Jason Meyers nailed a 38-yarder.

Heading into overtime, the Patriots won the toss and wanted to receive the ball. Unfortunately for them, the defense was back and locked in forcing a 3-and-out. Seattle had the ball, only needing a FG to win.

Geno Smith put together a great game-winning drive, passing on 7 of the 8 plays, with the 2 biggest plays going to veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett; a 20-yard defensive pass interference and a 16-yard reception. Seattle drove down to the New England 13 and brought in Jason Meyers, who hit a 31-yard field goal to send the Seahawks home happy and undefeated.

Next up for the Seattle Seahawks is a Sunday home date against the Miami Dolphins, who have to make the cross-country trek up to the Pacific Northwest. QB Tua Tagovailoa won’t be with the Dolphins after suffering a concussion last Thursday against the Buffalo Bills and was subsequently placed on injured reserve. Backup Skylar Thompson will be making his 3rd career start in the gauntlet that is Lumen Field.

GO HAWKS!