This game needed the third dimension. Or for that matter, the New England Patriots did.

You had two teams Sunday at sun-splashed Gillette Stadium that could each could do one thing well on offense. The Seahawks tossed their running game away in the second half of their 23-20 overtime win; it probably was landing in Seattle about the time the Seahawks busses were leaving Gillette.

And the Patriots? Conversely they wanted to hold on to their downfield passing game, but it just wasn’t there for anyone not named Hunter Henry.

New England outlander Seattle 185-46. The Seahawks flew by them to the tune of 312-125. Gee, in today’s NFL, which team do you think won?

“We definitely have to start getting the ball down the field,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said.

“We’ve got to start pushing the ball down the field to get that shell defense, and we’ve got to be able to run. We’ve got to be able to pass. We’ve got to be able to ping-pong between the two. It’s something that we need to work on. That’s what I would say.”

That’s what many would say. Sure the Patriots are a physical team in a physical game, but the NFL has become a finesse league.

Patriot defensive lineman David Godchaux didn’t quite agree in the quiet locker room after, but he’s not going to throw his offense under the bus, especially when he’s on the rock ’em, sock ’em side of the ledger. “I don’t see that,” he said. “You look at the teams in the playoffs – they’ve got good run games and good defense.”

But also wide receivers who can make big plays. Hmmm,maybe like DK Metcalf did when he toasted Patriot corner Christian Gonzalez for a 56-yard touchdown that tied the game in the first quarter. Isn’t that what New England envisioned when they drafted Tyquan Thorton a couple of years ago — and kept him this season? Instant offense from a wide receiver. Patriot receivers caught five balls for 19 yards.

And a player like Demario Douglas was nowhere to be found.

“Yeah, we have to get him going,” Mayo said. “We have to scheme up some things for him. He’s one of our most explosive players, and that’s on us as coaches to put it together.”

And for Jacoby Brissett to execute. He was 15 of 27 for 149 yards but those numbers just don’t often win unless you’re clean as a whistle.

“I think obviously we would like more in our passing game,” Brissett said. “I’ve got to do a better job of getting a lot of those guys involved in the game plan and throughout the game. I take responsibility for that.”

On the flip side,there was Geno Smith, who somehow the last few years has rebuilt himself into a smart NFL quarterback.

“I thought Geno played a dynamite game,” Ravens first year head coach Mike Macdonald said. “I thought he was decisive. The ball was out fast. I thought we had a great plan. Yeah, we had a couple of drops, but we’ll clean those up. I mean, I’m not sure what the numbers are, but they’re probably pretty dang good.”

They were. Look,there’s a lot of ways to win an NFL game, and you’re not just looking for style points. But when you can’t be a bit more explosive,mistakes like having a field goal blocked, a fail in OT on third and 1, or an illegal formation penalty, well you do the math.

There was one thing Godchaux was right about.

“They’re (Seattle) a good football team, solid defense,” he said. “But we should have definitely won this game.”

When they find that new dimension, they will.