Can New England Patriots Fix Offensive Line?

FOXBORO — Following an embarrassing 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 5, the New England Patriots have collectively vowed to "start over" in their quest to inject life back into what has recently been a listless football team.

Unfortunately, it appears that "more of the same" may be the fate of their injury-riddled and beleaguered offensive line for Sunday's Week 6 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Starting guard Cole Strange (knee) and tackle Riley Reiff (knee) will be sidelined for this matchup, while left tackle Trent Brown (chest) and right guard Michael Onwenu (ankle) are also listed as questionable.

At present, the Patriots face the possibility of fielding only one substantially healthy full-time starter on a line which has routinely failed to both protect the passer and facilitate running lanes.

While quarterback Mac Jones has shouldered much of the blame for the Pats on-field struggles, discounting the inept nature of the offensive line charged with protecting him is both unfair and short-sighted. Against New Orleans, the Patriots started Brown at left tackle, Atonio Mafi at left guard, David Andrews at center, Onwenu at right guard and Verderian Lowe at right tackle. Collectively. the line allowed a 45.8 percent pressure rate on Jones' 24 drop-backs. In fact, Sunday marked the third-straight week New England's unit has been over 43 percent. In addition to making life much tougher for Jones, the offensive line struggled to adequately block for the Pats rushers, who were stuffed on five of their 17 runs.

Should New England once again employ their Week 5 starting line against Las Vegas, Jones and the Patriots offense may be in for another long and dismal day. With the Raiders expected to dispatch premier pass rusher Maxx Crosby against the weaker right side of their line, New England must find ways to counter Las Vegas' defensive strength. While drawing the Raiders attention away from the troubled areas through savvy play-calling is one way of doing so, the Patriots may find that the most-effective way of keeping Crosby away from Jones is to chip him hard and often before he hits his stride.

Regrettably for the Patriots, the task has become more difficult. The absence of Reiff, along with the injury to Onwenu, place greater pressure on Lowe, their probable starter at right tackle. Lowe allowed a sack and four hurries last Sunday. In total, the Pats newcomer has surrendered 25 quarterback pressures in four starts. As such, it would be appropriate —and perhaps, and understatement — to label Crosby versus Lowe as a “mismatch.”

New England faces similar problems at the guard position, as well. Strange is set to miss his third-straight game due to a lingering knee ailment which he suffered during the opening days of training camp in late July. In fact, Strange was inactive for New England’s season opener against the Eagles, as well. In two games played, he has been on the field for 118 snaps on offense.

During Strange’s absence, the Pats have turned to their fifth-round rookie, Mafi. The UCLA product conceded a team-high six quarterback pressures against New Orleans, as he continues to have difficulty with recognizing the stunts of opposing pass rushers. Having missed notable time due to injury, Onwenu's ankle injury clearly hindered his ability to be a force in run blocking. As a result, he was replaced by Reiff after taking just 21 snaps on offense.

Reiff, on the other hand, made his Patriots debut in Week 5 after having spent the first four weeks on injured reserve due to a preseason knee injury. Albeit in limited action, the veteran reserve lineman provided some stability for the Pats in the second half. However, he seemingly suffered a setback in his recovery earlier this week, which will cause him to miss this weekend's matchup with the Raiders.

With both Strange and Reiff out, New England will once again rely on both Mafi and a pseudo-injured Onwenu for protection along the interior. Though he is listed as 'questionable,' the Michigan product told reporters he was removed from last week's blowout loss for :precautionary reasons,” indicating that he is likely to play on Sunday.

Though neutralizing Crosby and the Raiders pass rush may prove to be difficult, New England can find success by sealing the edges and opening rushing windows for both Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott. Las Vegas, who currently yields nearly 130 yards per game on the ground, will certainly look to counter the Pats running game with a strong performance from their defensive front.

Regardless of its health, New England’s offensive line must be ready for the challenge. After all, the fate of the team’s season may be resting on their banged-up shoulders.

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