The strength of the Seahawks’ defense is their secondary, and the Patriots’ receivers were clearly outmatched. The wide receiver unit combined for three catches and 19 yards on five targets, all by Polk and KJ Osborn.

When the Patriots needed to put points on the board, they had to rely on their run game, pulling the ball 9 of 11 plays on their lone touchdown drive of the second half. But they couldn’t repeat that in the fourth quarter and overtime with the game on the line, forced to punt on quick three-and-outs. When they did need explosive passing plays, their longest in the second half was 11 yards. They also settled for two short field goals in the first half rather than finish in the red zone.

The Patriots have to be nearly perfect on offense to win close games. And they weren’t nearly perfect on Sunday.

▪ Brissett won’t last much longer as the starting quarterback unless the offensive line picks up. He was a magician again with his ability to slip out of sacks or throw the ball away when he was in the clutch. But he still took big hits and came up with a grimace twice, once when he twisted his knee and once when he landed on his shoulder. The Patriots need to do a better job of keeping Brissett out of harm’s way, because they don’t want to go to Drake Maye just yet.

▪ The Patriots’ passing game is now basic. Brissett was 8 of 9 passing for 73 yards in the first quarter, then just 8 of 18 for 76 yards the rest of the way. In both games, the Patriots have done a good job of scoring early with their scripted plays, but have struggled to move the ball once the game gets going. Brissett has kept the Patriots in the game with his craft and intelligence, but the NFL is a passing league and the Patriots are one-dimensional.

▪ Jerod Mayo has been criticized for poor clock management at the end of both halves, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has been criticized for not getting the ball to wide receivers. But those are minor quibbles.

The Patriots still managed 185 yards on the ground, minimized negative plays, held the ball eight minutes longer than the Seahawks, and converted a respectable 6 of 16 third downs. The Patriots had only five penalties, three of which went for 42 yards. In two games, they had only eight penalties for 82 yards.

Considering how poorly the Patriots were in pre-season play and how low expectations were at the start of the season, Mayo and Van Pelt did a great job of preparing their team and making sure they didn’t lose the game from the sidelines.

▪ Another mixed performance from the offensive line. The Seahawks battered Brissett all game and charged to stop Rhamondre Stevenson, who ran for 81 yards on 21 carries (3.9 average). But the touchdown drive in the third/fourth quarter was a sight to behold. The Patriots steamrolled 66 yards, running the ball on 9 of 11 plays for 48 yards, with Stevenson finishing it with a short run.

They brought in Caedan Wallace as an extra tight end and hit the ball right to the Seahawks, even though everyone in the stadium knew the Patriots were running the ball. And Antonio Gibson ripped a 45-yard run in the fourth quarter to set up the Patriots for a field goal, although it was blocked. But when the Patriots absolutely needed to gain a yard in overtime, they were stopped on third-and-1. Again, they’re a work in progress.

▪ Sophomore cornerback Christian Gonzalez had a tough assignment, shadowing DK Metcalf the entire game, and the results were mixed. Metcalf had 10 catches on 14 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown, and Gonzalez had a communication error with Kyle Dugger that led to Metcalf’s 56-yard score. But Gonzalez was competitive the entire game, knocking down a pair of passes and breaking up a deep ball in the third quarter. Despite Metcalf’s big stats, Gonzalez was competitive and able to hold his head high.

▪ The Seahawks told us how teams think about the Patriots defense — they respect the run defense, but they could destroy the secondary. The Seahawks wanted to run the ball, but Zach Charbonnet had just 14 carries for 38 yards (2.7 average). Meanwhile, Geno Smith completed 33 of 44 passes for 327 yards, with Metcalf hitting for 129 yards and Jaxon Smith-Njigba throwing for 12 catches and 117 yards. There were a lot of short passes — only two went over 20 yards and one was a 56-yard touchdown breakup — but the Seahawks showed the rest of the league that the Patriots defense can be beaten through the air.

▪ Both teams struggled to get a grip on this game. The Patriots had a 48-yard field goal attempt blocked in the second half, and Stevenson nearly fumbled the game away on the goal line, with left guard Michael Jordan recovering the ball and saving the day (temporarily). The Seahawks had two bad drops by Smith-Njigba and Noah Fant in the fourth quarter, and had a terrible run play on fourth-and-short that was stopped in the first half. Though the Seahawks are 2-0, they’re not ready to become one of the NFL’s elite teams yet.

▪ A great game for Dugger, who had eight tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and a pass deflected. He proved to be worth every penny of the big contract he signed this offseason.

Sophomore defensive end Keion White is also quickly becoming an impact player. He had two sacks in the Week 1 win, and followed that up with seven tackles and 1½ sacks against the Seahawks. He manhandled guard Laken Tomlinson and center Connor Williams, and showed good hustle to chase down plays. White isn’t a classic speed rusher, but he can overpower offensive linemen.

▪ The new kickoff dynamic remains boring. The teams combined for a touchback on 9 of 10 kickoffs, with the Seahawks making the lone return of 26 yards. Perhaps there will be fewer touchbacks as the season progresses, but the NFL’s new rules haven’t worked so far.

Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].