Mayo gives candid review of Patriots’ pass protection in Week 2 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots offensive line was a hot topic throughout training camp and the preseason due to lackluster performance and too many penalties. The criticism of this group has, unsurprisingly, carried into the regular season.
After a good-not-great performance by this group in the Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the offensive line struggled — specifically in pass protection — during Sunday’s Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked three times. Rookie Layden Robinson and veteran Michael Jordan both allowed a sack. Vederian Lowe was penalized for holding. Brissett was forced to run outside of the pocket to escape the pass rush on far too many plays.
“I thought the pass protection was average at best,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo admitted Monday morning on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. “They brought guys from different sides of the field. Even when they rushed four, they were able to get back there to Jacoby.
“It doesn’t have to be a sack to affect the passing game. Just bodies around the quarterback affect the passing game. We have to do a better job protecting Jacoby, and that’s on the offensive line, the running backs and the tight ends.”
Mayo also noted after the game that the Patriots need to push the ball down field more often in the passing attack. New England had just one pass attempt that traveled 20-plus yards in the air on Sunday.
Trying to throw the ball down field more often is a great strategy — it’s hard to win games when you pass for 149 yards and your wide receivers account for just 19 of that — but it could be difficult to execute if the pass protection continues to be poor.
Brissett isn’t the best deep ball passer, but it’s hard for those plays to develop when there’s consistently pressure in your face. The veteran quarterback was hit six times in the second half Sunday, so it’s not surprising he tallied just 32 passing yards over that span.
The Patriots have allowed the league’s second-highest pressure rate on offense at 44.3 percent.
Through two games, per @NextGenStats, Jacoby Brissett has the second-highest pressure rate in the NFL (44.3 percent). Trails only Tennessee’s Will Levis (53.4).
Brissett is also 12th in EPA per dropback (-0.05) among QBs who’ve played two games.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) September 16, 2024
Aside from making a trade, the Patriots don’t have a lot of options when it comes to upgrading their offensive line. They could look at the waiver wire or another team’s practice squad, but a savior isn’t coming from one of those routes.
The coaching staff will have to find fixes internally, whether that’s schematically or changing personnel.
