3 biggest (and worst) overreactions to Patriots Week 2 loss to the Seahawks

Well before the 2024 season began, the Patriots were projected to be a bottom-3 team and competing for the first overall pick in next year's draft. Because of all the significant changes made during the offseason, from a new coaching staff to significant moves made to the offensive roster, there was zero optimism that they would be a competitive team this year.

For the most part, analysts and fans accepted the inevitable future, mainly because it meant the new regime was building for the future. But once the Patriots won the first game of the season, despite all that was working against them, the mindset shifted back to "win now" mode.

That set fans up for a miserable reaction to the Week 2 loss to the Seahawks this past Sunday, prompting some over-the-top overreactions for the rest of the season.

Some are far more dramatic than others, but three take the cake as the worst of the week.

3 biggest overreactions to Patriots Week 2 loss to the Seahawks

1. It's time to bench Jacoby Brissett for Drake Maye

This has to be the most popular overreaction since the Patriots lost on Sunday afternoon, and to an extent, it's understandable, given how poorly Jacoby Brissett has utilized the wide receivers over the past two weeks.

But there's a lot to consider when jumping to the conclusion that the best solution after just two games is to bench the veteran for a rookie.

One of the biggest issues facing the offense right now is the lack of consistent protection from the offensive line, and the latest injuries to Vederian Lowe, Mike Onwenu, and Layden Robinson certainly don't help. Brissett has overcome a lot of their deficiencies pretty remarkably thus far, and that has a lot to do with his veteran experience.

The idea of putting Drake Maye in to deal with a less-than-suitable offensive line is a horrible idea and shouldn't happen any time soon unless they somehow drastically perform better. There's no reason to risk injury to him or give up on Brissett just yet. So even though Maye looked exciting in the preseason and the future looks bright, patience will be key because it's better in the long run for the quarterback and the team.

2. The Patriots won't win another game this season

The worst preseason predictions for the Patriots' 2024 season had them winning at least three games this year. It's much too early to suggest they won't win another after Week 1 simply because they didn't look great against the Seahawks last Sunday.

Not to mention, there are a lot of injuries around the league right now, and teams are coming out the victors in games nobody believed they could, so anything is possible. The Patriots were one of the teams in their matchup against the Bengals, yet they took home the W.

One of the best things to remember at this stage of the season, despite all the bad luck the Patriots are dealing with, is Bill Belichick's words. He famously said that the first month of the regular season is like an extension of the preseason; nobody is playing their best football, and teams are still trying to figure things out.

That could easily be the case for New England, especially with an entirely new coaching staff, many of whom are inexperienced, and several new players on the offense. Unfortunately, this is another aspect that will demand patience, even if that's hard to do.

3. The defense is doomed

This should be classified as an overdramatic overreaction.

While it's significant that the defense will now be without captain Ja'Whaun Bentley after he suffered a torn pec against the Seahawks, his absence shouldn't be the reason the group falls apart completely. His presence will surely be missed, but there are plenty of good players still ready to go.

The secondary will still be led by the quad of dreams (Kyle Dugger, Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, and Jabrill Peppers), and Marcus Jones has had a nice resurgence since returning to the team after spending nearly all of the 2023 season injured. The cornerbacks have shut down opponents' top receivers in back-to-back weeks and created opportunities for the defense, much like last year.

The defensive line will certainly take a hit, especially stopping the run, but the rise of Keion White has been impressive. There are still solid players to fill in Bentley's absence, like Jahlani Tavai (who had the best season of his career last year) and Anfernee Jennings, who also had a breakout season in 2023.

They won't necessarily fill the void left by Bentley, but there's no reason to believe they won't rise to the occasion, as they have in the past, and keep the defense dominant the rest of the way.

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