Having Mac’s Back: Patriots O-Line Shines vs. Steelers
Just one week ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense collected seven sacks on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow en route to a 23-20 overtime victory over the reigning AFC Champions.
In Week 2, they were set to square off against a New England Patriots offense that had been much maligned, largely in part due to the subpar play from its offensive line.
The stage was set for a potentially one-sided battle.
However, the Pats line, consisting of left tackle Trent Brown, left guard Cole Strange, center David Andrews, right guard Michael Onwenu and right tackle Isaiah Wynn, was not about to surrender its position.
Quarterback Mac Jones rebounded from his previous week’s struggles, as well as some minor health issues, to complete 21 passes for 252 yards and one touchdown, leading the Pats to a 17-14 victory over the Steelers at Aricsure Stadium on Sunday.
One of the key reasons for Jones pseudo-resurgence was the improved play of the unit charged with his protection.
While the absence of star pass rusher T.J. Watt surely helped their cause, the Patriots offensive line turned in a solid performance in Week 2. Though the Steelers defense had been sack happy in Week 1, they were held without a quarterback takedown on Sunday.
“Offensive line played amazing, didn’t really get hit,” Jones told reporters after the game. “Hats off to them. Run game, pass game, they made it work. That’s something I was really proud of.”
In addition to making life a bit easier for their quarterback, the group helped facilitate a strong performance from the Patriots run game. Overall, the Pats runners gained 133 yards on 28 rushing attempts; for an average of 4.8 yards. They also paved the way for a short-yardage touchdown rush from feature back Damien Harris in the third-quarter.
The line was also the primary force behind New England’s 13-play, 46 yard drive to drain the remaining 6:33 off the clock. In particular, left tackle Trent Brown’s size and positioning helped to clear the path for several of the Pats’ weak-side zone runs in the closing moments of the fourth quarter.
Perhaps the most impressive member of the quintet on Sunday was rookie Cole Strange, who continues to prove his worth as a late first-rounder. The Chattanooga product not only fell into rhythm with the Pats offensive line by pulling, but also demonstrated a knack for picking up pressures and using his strength and athleticism to reach the second level of Pittsburgh’s defense. Above all, he held his own against the Steelers interior defensive line led by veterans Cameron Hayward and Larry Ogunjobi.
Strange’s performance clearly had an impression on Jones, who praised him during his postgame remarks to the media.
“He’s very stoic but very competitive in his own way,” Jones said. “He’s always hustling to the ball and doing a great job learning the offense. He’s really done a great job; it’s hard coming in as a rookie and starting, and he’s done a great job. He just has to continue to grow and improve what he wants to improve on.”
With the Baltimore Ravens set to visit Foxboro for New England’s first home game of 2022, the Pats will once again face a multi-faceted defense, capable of dominating a game from all three levels. However, Jones is confident that his offensive line is ready for any and all looks.
“We saw a lot of different coverages today,” Jones stated. “We’ve just got a good offense that everyone can get the ball whenever. So it's not like we're scheming for one specific thing. We can go out there and just get the completions.
Today, the offensive line gave me plenty of time to go through my reads. So that's the important part and we have to keep doing it. Every defense is different and every defense runs different coverages. So, we have to be ready for everything.”
The Pats and Ravens are set for a Week 3 matchup on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.
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