New England Patriots kicker Joey Slye (13) reacts with New England Patriots punter Bryce Baringer (17) in the third quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. There’s no more time for celebration for New England Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo.
Mayo came away with a victory in his debut, but he is far from content as New England prepares to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, Mass.
The Patriots (1-0) stunned the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, holding them to 13 first downs and 224 yards of total offense in a 16-10 win. Rhamondre Stevenson shined for New England, rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
Although the Patriots made few mistakes against Cincinnati, Mayo believes there is plenty of room for improvement.
“From an individual perspective, the biggest jump you should see out of your players is from Year 1 to Year 2, or Week 1 to Week 2,” Mayo said. “I would say this week, not to look back at Cincinnati, but there are a lot of plays that we left out there. I think the players recognize that.
“Once you go to Week 2, we expect everyone to be better. … And I did let them know, ‘What got us the win in Week 1 won’t get us the win in Week 2 if we don’t continue to improve.'”
Taking things one step at a time is something that Seattle coach Mike Macdonald has also been emphasizing.
“It’s about each practice,” Macdonald said. “You can’t have a great Thursday if you don’t have a good Wednesday.”
Macdonald, also in his first season at the helm, coached the Seahawks (1-0) to a 26-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Like New England, Seattle leaned on its rushing attack, getting 103 yards and a TD on 20 carries from Kenneth Walker III. Quarterback Geno Smith also ran for a score.
Walker might struggle to get going against the Patriots, though, as New England allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the league last week (70). That is of course if Walker plays, as the 23-year-old did not practice on Wednesday due to an oblique injury.
“Very well-coached, obviously, but they play tough, they have good players, they play hard,” Macdonald said of the Patriots. “All the fundamentals, just go right down the list — check, check, check. Play square, get off blocks, what it takes to play really good run defense. Numbers back it up, tape backs it up.
“So we got a great challenge ahead of us.”
With Sunday marking the home opener for New England, the Seahawks will also have to contend with a Patriots fan base that is starting to feel a renewed sense of optimism after sitting through a 4-13 season in 2023.
Still, Seattle enters the meeting with New England as the favorite.
“They don’t really talk about that,” Mayo said of his players discussing the Patriots’ underdog status. “This goes back to the whole motivation conversation. It’s about discipline.”
Guard Sidy Sow is dealing with an ankle injury and was the only player to miss New England’s practice on Wednesday. Running back Antonio Gibson (hip), safety Jabrill Peppers (hip), linebacker Joshua Uche (foot) and defensive end Deatrich Wise (shoulder) were among those limited.
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a knee injury. Offensive tackle George Fant (knee) and linebacker Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) didn’t practice for Seattle on Wednesday.
Seven Seahawks were limited in practice, including receiver Tyler Lockett (thigh), tight end Noah Fant (toe) and cornerbacks Tre Brown (quadricep) and Riq Woolen (hamstring).
–Field Level Media