New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks Preview
The New England Patriots welcome the Seattle Seahawks to Gillette Stadium for their first home game of the season on September 15 at 10:00 am. Both sides enter the fixture coming off victories in their first games of the season.
New England stunned the Cincinnati Bengals on the road last week. Can the Patriots earn another underdog victory or will Seattle put a stop to the early hype surrounding rookie coach Jerod Mayo?
New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks Head-To-Head and Key Stats
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have clashed 19 times throughout history. Seattle narrowly leads the rivalry with 10 wins to nine but infamously lost to the Patriots at Super Bowl XLIX.
This game will be the first time Seattle and New England have met since September 2020. Seattle came out on top in a 35-30 comeback victory. The Patriots took the lead on three occasions but collapsed in the second half, allowing three touchdowns. Wide receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett scored touchdowns on that day and still turn out for Seattle in 2024.
The New England Patriots played their season opener last weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. New England entered the game as underdogs, but stunned Cinci. They raced ahead by two scores at halftime on their way to a 16-10 victory on the road.
A quiet first quarter saw both teams go scoreless after 15 minutes. Two drives from the Bengals and one from the Patriots ended in punts, with just 42 offensive yards between both teams. New England began the second half with an excellent 85-yard drive. Rhamondre Stevenson finished off the 14-play drive with a three-yard run to open the scoring. Cincinnati went three-and-out with a punt on their next possession before Kyle Dugger forced a fumble on the 1-yard line, recovered by Marcus Jones for 17 yards. Stevenson starred in a 63-yard drive to follow, ending with a Pats field goal to put them up 10-0 at halftime. The running back finished the game with 120 yards and a touchdown.
Got that hunger about us 😤 pic.twitter.com/hfzfFX4JOJ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 10, 2024
New England regained possession of the ball after a punt on their first drive of the third quarter. Charlie Jones fumbled his return to put the Patriots on Cincinnati’s 24-yard line, leading to another field goal for the visitors. The Bengals scored their first touchdown of the game late in the third. Jerod Mayo’s team chewed the clock with a near seven-and-a-half-minute drive in the fourth, ending with a field goal for some breathing room. Their defence kept the hosts to a field goal and saw out the game for a well-earned victory.
The Seattle Seahawks welcomed the Denver Broncos to Lumen Field in their season opener last weekend. Seattle dropped two interceptions but caught two more on their way to a 26-20 victory. A poor start for Seattle saw Geno Smith sacked on his first play of the game before he threw an interception on his second. The Broncos made all of three yards on the resulting possession before kicking for three to open the scoring. Two short, unsuccessful drives apiece followed before Seattle levelled with a field goal to end the first quarter 3-3.
Woke up undefeated. 😬 pic.twitter.com/etiN5L3jg5
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 9, 2024
Julian Love made an excellent interception on the 1-yard line on the opening drive of the second quarter. However, an offensive holding penalty from the resulting possession earned the Broncos a safety to make it 5-3. Seattle’s mistakes seemed to be piling up when Dee Williams fumbled a punt return, leading to a field goal for Denver. Geno Smith scored an impressive touchdown after a 34-yard scramble but a field goal and another safety ended a hectic first half 13-9 to Denver.
Seattle recovered after the break. They kept Cinci scoreless in the third quarter and scored a touchdown and a field goal to take the lead. Another touchdown to open the fourth quarter made it a two-score game in favour of Seattle. Tariq Woolen’s interception effectively killed off the contest and one last touchdown for the Broncos wasn’t enough. The Seahawks’ impressive second-half display earned them the victory.
New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks Predictions
Correct score prediction: New England Patriots 17-21 Seattle Seahawks
Both teams enter this game following strong performances in their season openers. The Patriots’ shock victory following an excellent defensive display started the Jerrod Mayo era with a bang. Seattle’s second-half comeback and strong defensive performance highlighted the strength of their secondary. Geno Smith recovered from a poor start and showed why he is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league. The Seahawks are the stronger team on paper and our football prediction is for Seattle to make it 2-0 this weekend.
The running game will be important for both sides on Sunday. Rhamondre Stevenson finished with 120 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots last week. Kenneth Walker III finished with 103 yards and a TD for Seattle. Both defences performed well against the run, but Seattle allowed just 3.3 yards per play last week.
Rhamondre running everywhere 😮💨@dreeday32 | @NextGenStats pic.twitter.com/ie94OzEA8k
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 9, 2024
Should the Patriots’ running game falter, they do not have the firepower to mix it up through the air. Seattle does not have the same problem. Tyler Lockett pulled in 77 yards through six receptions against Denver. DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had quiet days, but that receiving corps is top 10 in the league if they are on their game.
Seattle’s Julian Love finished with 12 total tackles, including 10 solo tackles and an interception against the Broncos. Tyrel Dodson had 10 total tackles and nine solos. Boye Mafe and Derick Hall each had a sack. The scoreline flattered Denver with most of their points coming after offensive turnovers. The Bengals’ defence was shocking against New England, but the Patriots’ offence didn’t exactly light them up. They will play against a far stronger defensive corps on Sunday and don’t have the offensive quality to get through them.
New England’s defensive performance last week deserves significant recognition. Head coach Jerod Mayo’s defensive influence shone through in their performance. Keion White finished with 2.5 sacks and Ja’Whaun Bentley had 12 total tackles with seven solo tackles. This Patriots team will go as far as their defence takes them, but their offence is just not good enough to make teams pay.
New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks Betting Tips
The Seattle Seahawks are the road favourites for this game, worth -179 with our online sportsbook. Their offence is far better than New England’s and their defence is just as strong, if not stronger. However, backing road favourites is a risky game, especially after the Patriots caused an upset on the road last week. We think there are safer bets to be made.
Rhamondre Stevenson had a monster game against Cincinnati last week with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown. He will be the focal point of the Patriots’ offence this season as they focus on the running game. NFL betting markets may expect another big performance from the running back, but the Seahawks were excellent against the run last week. They allowed just 3.2 yards per rushing play. Take the under on Stevenson’s rushing yards prop.
The first look at Mike Macdonald's defense. pic.twitter.com/PaeFcsI9Yq
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 9, 2024
Our online sportsbook has set the point spread for this game at 3.5. This game may be a tale of defence vs defence. In that case, it falls on which offensive unit is stronger. Seattle’s depth far outweighs New England’s and the Patriots only managed 16 points against a terrible Bengals defence last week. Geno Smith can lead the way for the Seahawks with Lockett, Metcalf and Smith-NJigba in tow. Bet on Seattle to cover the spread, worth -103.
Football betting can be tricky to navigate this early in the season with rosters still finding their feet after the draft. We see two rookie coaches face off in this game and it is too early to judge either, even after victories in their first games. It may be beneficial to wait for the game to kick off and look at the live betting markets.
New England Team News
Jacoby Brissett started at quarterback last week, ahead of third-overall pick Drake Maye. It is anticipated that Brissett will stay in that role against Seattle. Sidy Sow suffered an ankle injury in the last preseason game against the Washington Commanders. He sat out against Cincinnati and is questionable for this game.
Seattle Seahawks Team News
Right tackle George Fant left the field with a knee injury after four minutes last week and did not return for the rest of the game. Mike Macdonald says his injury is ‘day by day’ and he is questionable for this game. Kenneth Walker walked off the field in the fourth quarter with an abdominal injury. It appears that his injury is minor, and the running back is expected to play against New England.
