Week three of the "Mike's Musings" column. It will appear here every week during the season, and I will have my final say on the previous week's game, as well as any other thoughts kicking around in my head (between the rocks).
- I had Mike Onwenu down for 4.5 of the 15 quarterback pressures the offensive line allowed on Sunday, including 2.5 on 11 dropbacks in the second half (All 22s were kinder to Onwenu than the TV copy on the rewatch). Neither number is good enough.
Onwenu's a better guard than a tackle. That's been the case since the day he walked in the door. It held true last year, even as he bailed the team out of its horrid tackle situation. And guess what? It's still the case this year. Nothing can be done about it unless the Pats decide to go with Caedan Wallace and Vederian Lowe as the starting tackles. That would allow the Pats to kick Onwenu inside and create a Layden Robinson/Sidy Sow battle at the other guard spot. Do I think that will happen? No, but ask me again in a month or so (what's the team's record? Is Maye in yet? Are the WRs passable?).
In the meantime, you can say what you want about the 26-year-old (ahem, Mike Lombardi), but what you can't question is how selfless Onwenu's been and the fact that he plays damn near every week (he didn't miss a game in his first three years and had just two DNPs last year). I value that and expect Onwenu to play better on Thursday night.
- Do the Patriots have a wide receiver problem? We're only two weeks into the season, and there are a number of contributing factors, but the Seahawks had zero fear of the Polk/Douglas/Osborn/Thornton/Baker combo platter. They shifted to mostly man coverage during the second quarter, erasing the perimeter players and eventually pouring cold water on Hunter Henry, who chalked up most of his 109 yards against zone and on the tight end screen.
Look, Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen are very talented — Witherspoon's a top-10 pick — but until the Pats pass catchers show they can win in one-on-one situations, there's already a blueprint in place to squeeze the life out of this aerial attack (if you can call it that). I worry less about their work versus zone, but that begs the question: Why would any team capable of playing man show much zone against this team?
If you're on social media, you may see a few folks claiming receivers were open. Sure. They were. On a half dozen plays or so. But then you have to look at the rush, the accumulation of pressure/hits on the quarterback, and realize 'yeah, it's not as easy as it seems' when you circle a guy on the backside of a 3x1 and say he's open, ignoring the fact that it was a slow developing play action that had Jacoby Brissett turning his back to the defense and holding it for a beat, before rolling right and facing a free runner because K.J. Osborn couldn't keep his block. Pet peeve. Sorry.
Pop Douglas had a couple opportunities for big plays, including the one where he drew the DPI on Witherspoon. Still, Onwenu surrendered a quick pressure, immediately turning the play into a mess. In fact, credit Brissett for throwing it in Pop's general direction to get the flag. There was another play just before the half that could have resulted in a big touch for the second-year wideout, but Onwenu was again beaten. So much for that.
- Brissett is so far down my list of concerns/worries for this team and has done nothing to warrant being removed in favor of Drake Maye. He is not, nor ever will be, some dynamic playmaker. But Brissett has been elusive in the pocket, taking sacks 14% of the time against pressure despite facing unhealthy pocket disruption for back-to-back weeks. If they can protect him better, it will allow Alex Van Pelt to open up more in his playbook and perhaps, you know, do something crazy like throw for 200 yards in a game.
And for those that think Maye could change their offensive fortunes, look, that's the plan, but in the meantime, watch what's happening to Caleb Williams in Chicago. The Bears' offensive line is poor, and Williams has been getting tossed around like one of those plush toys my dog flings around before methodically ripping the stuffing out of each and every one of them. Just. Don't. Do. It. Not yet.
- The offensive line did a better job opening holes for Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Those two needed to do far less work before getting to the line of scrimmage than last week, although Gibson's 45-yard run was all about him breaking a tackle several yards in the backfield. Some of the wide zone schemes they shelved in week one were slightly more effective in week two, but this team still can't attack the edges, which is such a critical piece of the West Coast offense, not just for the run game but also so the passing game can flow off that with bootlegs. What the Pats are best at is what they've done prior to Van Pelt's arrival - power and gap, which takes me right back to what I reported after the hiring - that there were real questions about whether this personnel up front is a good fit for this style of play. Thus far, the answer is a resounding no.
- I was worried that DeMarcus Covington would be too aggressive in his first year as defensive coordinator. With the four-man rush not generating enough pressure on Geno Smith — he was seen making a couple of calls and eating a hot dog during a few of these dropbacks — Covington had to get after the veteran quarterback with the blitz and got burned repeatedly.
There was the long TD to D.K. Metcalf, a critical conversion prior to the half (and a field goal), and then a couple of plays in overtime, leading to the game-winning field goal. New Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb was always a step or two ahead of Covington, Mayo, and company.
- On that front, the Pats are asking a lot of Davon Godchaux. He was on the field for 47 snaps, 30 as a pass rusher, the second-highest pass rush total he's had as a Patriot. Godchaux has been excellent against the run, but as I mentioned, the four-man rush was virtually non-existent. The absence of Christian Barmore is and will continue to be felt.