FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots will be missing the anchor of their offensive line when they visit the New York Jets this weekend.
O-line coach Matt Patricia on Friday confirmed center David Andrews will not play Sunday at MetLife Stadium, indicating James Ferentz will start in his place. Andrews did not practice this week as he recovers from a concussion suffered on an illegal hit from Chicago Bears defensive lineman Mike Pennel on Monday.
“David is a phenomenal player,” Patricia said. “He’s a great leader. He’s a captain. He’s a great resource, and he’s a great communicator on the field, which is critical for us, especially at the center position. …
“But James Ferentz is a great player who’s been in our system a long time. (He’s) extremely smart, and he and David are really the guys that handle all the communication on a daily basis anyway. We practice those guys in there. David’s a great player, has obviously done a great job for us inside. This week, James will be in that situation, and he’ll be able to help us there.”
This will be the first game Andrews has missed since Week 17 of the 2020 season. The eighth-year pro led the Patriots in offensive snaps played in 2021 and had played every snap this season before his injury. Ferentz is a savvy veteran who has been with New England since 2017, but he’s started just six career games (three at center, three at guard) and has only 16 snaps under his belt this season.
This also is an inopportune week for the Patriots to be without a starting interior lineman. Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is a handful for opposing blockers, entering Week 8 as Pro Football Focus’s fourth-highest-graded player at his position (behind Chris Jones, Aaron Donald and Dexter Lawrence). Williams has five sacks on the season and boasts the 12th-highest PFF run defense grade among interior defenders.
Beyond that difficult matchup, losing Andrews will make life more challenging for quarterback Mac Jones, who may need to shake off some rust in his first game as a full participant since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 3. New England’s O-line has remedied most of its early-season communication issues, but will those resurface with a new voice now leading that effort?
“(As the center) you have to help coordinate the five guys that are out there,” Patricia said. “Make sure they see the game through the same set of eyes, make sure the calls and the adjustments, run or pass, that everybody sees it the same and everyone’s working in the right direction. Communication with the quarterback. … Certainly from the center position to the quarterback position, that’s got to be critical, because then the communication distributes outward from there.”
The Patriots also likely will be without defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who missed all three practices this week with a knee injury. Barmore also sat out last week’s loss to the Bears.
