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Patriots’ defense needs to be close to perfect, and they were not against Seahawks

Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …

Two games, one win, and one loss into Jerod Mayo’s coaching tenure, the Patriots have begun to establish some interconnected truths.

  • They’re a hard-running and hard-hitting team, tough and united, and that’s been a pleasure to watch.
  • Playing that way is pretty much the only way they’re going to win.
  • And even when they do play that way — as they learned in Sunday’s 23-20 overtime loss to the Seahawks in the home opener at Gillette Stadium — that’s not always going to be enough.