Patriots’ lack of passing game in overtime loss to Seahawks

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the themes coming out of the New England Patriots locker room after their 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks was that they need to move on quickly with Thursday’s next game on the schedule against the New York Jets.

With that, coaches and players acknowledged one area where they need to improve significantly: receiver contributions. It’s hard to win when receivers can catch three passes for 19 yards, as they did Sunday against the Seahawks.

“We definitely have to start moving the ball up the pitch,” said coach Jerod Maillot.

The Patriots have proven they can carry the ball and are a strong, powerful team. They racked up 185 yards on 36 carries (5.1 average) against the Seahawks. In Week 1, they racked up 170 yards on 39 carries (4.4 average) in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

They also showed that their tight ends can be effective, with veteran Hunter Henry recording a career-high 109 total yards in a loss to the Seahawks, while matching his career-high of eight touchdown passes.

But without the ability to wear down defenses by having more consistent success in the perimeter and interior passing game, the one-dimensional offense showed its limitations, such as in end-of-half and end-of-game situations when facing a long field with limited time on the clock.

“We have to be able to trade passes between the two teams. That’s something we need to work on,” Mayo said, acknowledging that the Seahawks denied him deep passes by effectively using the split-safety defense. “We need to be more balanced on offense and that’s going to be our goal this week.”

That won’t be easy against a New York Jets defense that has allowed an average of 195.5 passing yards through two weeks — a Week 1 loss at San Francisco and a 24-17 win over the Titans on Sunday.

New England Patriots veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has completed 30 of 51 attempts for 270 yards, one score and no interceptions through the first two games.

“Obviously we want more passing in our game,” Brissett said. “I have to do a better job of getting a lot of those guys involved in the game plan and during the game. I take responsibility for that.”

But the question remains whether New England’s wide receivers are strong enough to deliver results. One reason management aggressively pursued free agent Calvin Ridley in the offseason and then Brandon Aiyuk in a trade is that New England lacks a dynamic player who can grab defenders’ attention.

In the season opener, the Patriots used 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton (2 receptions, 27 yards) and veteran KJ Osborne (3 receptions, 21 yards) as their top receivers, with DeMario Douglas (2 receptions, 12 yards) at center. Second-round pick JaLen Polk (1 reception, 6 yards) was the No. 4 pick.

In Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, Polk moved up the depth chart and finished with two passes for 12 yards (including a goal). Osborne was the other starter and didn’t catch his only pass for 7 yards until the second play of overtime. The rest of the receiver corps — Thornton, Douglas and 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Baker — didn’t register on the stat sheet.

Mayo put the onus on himself and the coaching staff, saying one possibility is to plan more plays for Douglas, the elusive slot option.

“We have to get him moving. He’s one of our most explosive players. That’s up to us as coaches to be able to deal with him,” he said.

David Andrews, the starting midfielder, also acknowledged the team’s weaknesses in the air, but said it would take everyone to get on board to improve results. That includes the attack, where Brissett was sent off three times on Sunday and hit eight times, which Andrews said was too many.

“We have to increase our passing productivity, which I’ve always said is a team effort from everyone,” Andrews said. “It’s not about one person or a group of players. It takes a team – all 11 players on offense – and that’s what we’re going to try to do this week.”