New England Patriots 'Not Hiding' Offensive Approach vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks know the New England Patriots want to run the ball. They just have to make Rhamondre Stevenson work for every yard.

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton (21) and Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) tackled New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) in the second quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Following an impressive first outing against the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks defense is preparing for a New England Patriots offense that lacked fireworks in their Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Patriots emerged from Paycor Stadium in Ohio with a 16-10 win over the Bengals, but the defense did most of the heavy lifting. New England’s offense averaged 4.5 yards per play and failed to surpass 300 yards of offense.

Much of their production was churned out by running back Rhamondre Stevenson — the same piece Seattle expects to receive most of the Patriots’ touches on Sunday. Stevenson totaled 126 yards from scrimmage on 28 touches in Week 1.

“I mean, [New England is] not trying to hide anything. They tell you everywhere in the media, wherever, they’re trying to run the ball,” Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins said on Thursday. “That’s what they’re trying to do. They’ve got a good back in [Stevenson], so as well as we tackled last week, last week is last week. Every week is a new opportunity, so we have to come out there and showcase those same abilities and skills again, especially against a runner like that.”

Jenkins re-emphasized their tackling practice, stating it was more of an offseason focus than it has been with his previous teams over his previous seven years in the NFL.

Those reps were apparent in Seattle’s win over the Broncos, as the Seahawks held Denver’s running backs to just 64 yards rushing on 20 carries. Quarterback Bo Nix was Denver’s leading rusher — all on scrambles — with 35 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Stevenson will be a unique challenge for Seattle, even with their refined tackling and trust that multiple hats will be getting to the ball quickly. He piled up 118 rushing yards after contact in Week 1, per Pro Football Focus.

“[Stevenson is] a very patient runner, knows what he’s doing, had a very successful first week,” Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe said Thursday. “He’s going to be building off that. We have to understand what we have to do as a defense and how to minimize his success. At the end of the day, you got to watch how he was being successful against Cincinnati and how are we going to attack and make sure it doesn’t happen.”

Patriots veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett attempted just 24 passes versus Cincinnati, completing 15 for 121 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Like Nix, Brissett will scramble — accumulating 32 yards rushing on seven carries.

Versus the Bengals, Brissett attempted just five passes more than 10 yards downfield, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He was 2-of-5 passing for 32 yards in those areas of the field. Seattle will have to be prepared to come up and make tackles on short throws.

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) rushes for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

That was very similar to how they had to attack Nix and Denver. Nix was 2-of-12 passing for 42 yards and two interceptions on passes at least 10 yards downfield versus Seattle. He was 24 of 30 for 96 yards everywhere else.

“I mean, [the Patriots] have their identity. It’s a new team, new coach. They’re creating their identity,” Mafe added. “Right now, they’re creating an identity in the run game, so that’s where we’re focused. Whatever it is, whatever their challenge, whatever they have, we have to have a plan to practice. At the end of the day, it’s one of those things that you game plan, you figure out what they want to do and how they want to create it. We have made our best efforts to defend that.”

Both first-time head coaches, the Patriots’ Jerod Mayo and Seattle’s Mike Macdonald each earned wins in their first regular season games. Unless we see a rare tie, something will have to give on Sunday.

New England’s defense — which held Joe Burrow and the Bengals to 224 yards of offense — is sure to test the Seahawks offense, which took some time to get into rhythm against the Broncos. However, the Patriots offense is far more one-dimensional than Seattle’s.

Mafe, Jenkins and the rest of the Seahawks defense know Mayo is going to pound the rock with Stevenson. They must make Stevenson work for every yard.