Patriots center David Andrews on O-Line play: “It’s not good”

Patriots starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked five times. Rookie Drake Maye came into the game for the final drive and took two sacks, including the game-winning one.

Brissett was pressured on 56.5% of dropbacks (13 pressures), the highest rate he has faced in a game since 2018 (minimum 10 attempts), according to Next Gen Stats. Against the Blitz, Brissett had more sacks (3) than completions (2 of 7 for 28 yards). The QB was pressured on 80.0% of dropbacks against more than five pass rushers.

Many of the pressures were free runners on the quarterback, indicating a breakdown in communication on the offensive line or a misjudgment of the quarterback before the snap.

“I thought the offensive line had a tough time today, had a tough time,” coach Jerod Mayo said. “Earlier in the game, there were moments where the pockets looked pretty clean. But as the game went on, similar to last week, the defenses started to fall apart.”

Even before the injuries, the Pats had doubts about the offensive line’s ability to keep attackers away from the quarterback. Then the injuries struck. Guard Sidy Sow (ankle) hasn’t played since the preseason. Left tackle Vederian Lowe (knee) was ruled out Thursday, pushing third-round rookie Caedan Wallace to a position he hasn’t played since high school. Tackles Michael Onwenu (wrist) and Andrews (hip) were questionable before the game, but both played.

The lack of cohesion has made a questionable crew even worse.

“You want the guys on the offensive line to line up and play together as a unit,” Mayo said. “But whether it’s because of injuries or whatever, we just haven’t found the right combination.”

The concerns about the offensive line were part of the calculation for keeping Maye on the bench to start the season. The problems have only gotten worse. Mayo will have to think about that again when he decides if the long off weekend before the game against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 is the right time to start the rookie.