After two games, it's clear that something is missing from the Patriots' game plan: excitement.

We're two games into the season and the good news is the Patriots are 1-1 and could easily be 2-0. The defense is pretty good. They haven't turned the ball over, they've dominated the time of possession, and they haven't committed many penalties.

But would it be okay to throw a deep ball once? Or try a little trick? Maybe a play action? Maybe just open things up a little?

The Patriots are safe players. They buy their groceries at Safeway. They buy security insurance. They have made Gillette Stadium a safe place. They are safe from potential trouble, safe at home, and better safe than sorry.

They play football the old-fashioned way: three yards and a cloud of dust. Leather helmets. The T formation. They could bring the facemask back to a single bar. They've gone from the Gronkowski of the 21st century to the Nagurski of the Stone Age.

“They're not a high-level football team,” Mayo said after Sunday's overtime loss to the Seahawks.

It's true.

Against Seattle, New England's receivers had three receptions for 19 yards and were targeted just five times. The Patriots ran the ball on nine of 11 plays during their second-half touchdown drive.

The starting quarterback is Jacoby Brissett, an eight-year veteran who has played for five NFL teams. Tough, composed and adept at dodging attacks, Brissett is the NFL's ultimate game manager, and the Patriots will never ask anything more of him.

Against Seattle, Brissett took a crucial sack (third-and-6 from Seattle's 21-yard line) with four minutes left when it looked like the Patriots might actually close out the game with an easy field goal. Instead, the Patriots had a 48-yard field goal blocked.

New England's backup quarterback has completed just 7 of 18 passes for 76 yards over the last three quarters. He's thrown just four passes for 14 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. He's averaging 135 yards per game.

No risk. No reward.

This is what everyone hated about the way Bill Belichick coached the team after Tom Brady left. The Patriots are playing straight down the middle, hoping the other team will step on their toes.

“We’ve got to find a way to move the ball down the field,” Mayo said Monday. “We’ve got to find a way to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers so those guys can get down the field and get yards. And it’s a hybrid issue. It’s the coaches’ responsibility — myself, starting with myself. It’s definitely something we’ve got to continue to do going forward.”

There's not much time to make changes this week. On Thursday, they'll see Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.

We last saw Rodgers on Jan. 7 at Gillette Stadium when he exchanged pleasantries with Belichick while watching the Jets beat New England in Bills' final game.

With Rodgers back in action, New York was crushed by the 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 1. The Jets' defense couldn't get off the field. They bounced back with a 24-17 win at Tennessee on Sunday, with Rodgers completing 18 of 30 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns.

The New York QB/game show host beat the Titans in true Brady fashion, with an old-school 74-yard touchdown run. With the game tied with 8:41 left, Rodgers got the Jets into the end zone in seven plays, completing 5 of 5 passes for 60 yards. The game-winning drive included big-time passes to Garrett Wilson (26 yards) and Mike Williams (19).

It was everything the Patriots can't do. New England simply doesn't have the quarterback, receivers or game plan to produce that kind of drama.

Thursday's game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will be the Patriots' only night game in 2024, televised nationally on Prime Video, a hard-to-get channel.

By the fall of 2024, ESPN (“Sunday Night Football”) and NBC (“Monday Night Football”) no longer want to be part of the New England football team, which is both overwhelming and determined.

Once the masters of prime time, the Patriots are a black-and-white 12-inch Philco (with rabbit ears) in a 98-inch Samsung world bathed in color.

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy.