The Patriots want more balance on offense, but is that possible?

The receivers played no role throughout the game. The only highlight of the group was rookie Ja'Lynn Polk's first NFL touchdown, which capped the team's second possession. Polk caught another pass and KJ Osborn caught a pass as well. That was it. DeMario Douglas and Tyquan Thornton ended up with zero hits.

“We just need to be more balanced on offense,” Mayo said. “That will be the goal this week.”

The question for the Patriots is whether that is possible.

The offensive line remains a major concern, although Mayo believes the group's problems are exaggerated.

In Week 1, Brissett and the running game helped mask the weaknesses of the line. In Week 2, Brissett again showed his ability to escape pressure, control the football, extend plays and find an open man, most often tight end Hunter Henry. As the game went on, however, he proved that without consistent and adequate protection, he can only do so much.

In the third quarter, Brissett appeared shaken after twisting his knees during a sack by Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams. He cautiously left the field but did not enter the blue medical tent or receive treatment from athletic trainers on the sidelines. He later landed hard on his shoulder.

The Seahawks finished the game with eight quarterback hits and three sacks for a loss of 24 yards. After Cincinnati posted the league's highest pressure rate (48.3 percent) in Week 1, Seattle also forced Brissett to play under pressure. If the Patriots want to keep their third draft pick, Drake Maye, on the bench, they need to protect their veteran.

Brissett says it all. The hits are just “part of football.” The lack of performance from the wide receivers is his fault. But there's no denying that the offensive line puts Brissett and the passing attack in a tough spot.

The Patriots don't have much time to find a solution, as they have a short week ahead of them (they visit the Jets on Thursday night), but they need to find an answer, especially at left tackle. Chukwuma Okorafor, who started in Week 1 before being benched for Vederian Lowe, left the team over the weekend — and Mayo had no update on his status. Lowe, who has been dealing with an abdominal injury, left Sunday's game with a knee injury.

The Patriots don't have much depth at the tackle position with third-round draftees Caedan Wallace, Demontrey Jacobs and Zach Thomas. Wallace, a 24-year-old rookie, has the most NFL experience of anyone, as Jacobs has yet to play a regular-season game and Thomas has played just 36 snaps in two seasons.

Compounding the problems is the Patriots' lack of a traditional No. 1 wide receiver to pick apart defenses. Henry was a reliable backup for Brissett on Sunday, with eight catches on 12 attempts for a career-high 109 yards, but all other pass catchers combined for seven catches on 12 attempts for 40 yards.

Douglas, arguably the team's most dynamic weapon, was not even able to make contact with the ball.

“We have to get him going,” Mayo said. “We have to figure out some things for him. He's one of our most explosive players. It's up to us as coaches to channel that in the right direction.”

Lacking a star-studded cast, the Patriots will likely need a concerted effort, but Douglas will have to be part of that. The same goes for Thornton, who despite a disappointing career so far, is the team's biggest threat due to his speed.

“We have a good group there,” Henry said. “They have to keep their heads up because we need them to make big plays. The ball didn't find them today, but we're going to need them this week and going forward.”

Over the past two weeks, the Patriots have shown that their offense deserves more respect than it received in the preseason. The running game is a force that can certainly lift the unit. However, Sunday showed that they may be too one-dimensional at the moment.

“We definitely need to start moving the ball down the field,” Mayo said. “We need to be able to run. We need to be able to pass. We need to be able to switch back and forth between the two. That's what we need to work on.”

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You can reach Nicole Yang at [email protected]. Follow her @nicolecyang.