How Jerod Mayo Explained Week 1 Benching Of Patriots Starter

Chukwuma Okorafor’s regular-season debut with the New England Patriots was short-lived.

Okorafor served as the starting left tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals but was pulled just 12 snaps into the Week 1 contest on Sunday afternoon. Vederian Lowe replaced Okorafor the rest of the game, a move which ultimately helped the Patriots in their 16-10 victory.

When speaking to reporters on a video conference Monday morning, Patriots first-year coach Jerod Mayo was asked about the change in personnel. Mayo admitted Okorafor faced “challenges” and “struggles.”

“I think he (Okorafor) has the entire skill set to be a good tackle in this league,” Mayo said. “I would say during the game, there were some challenges. He had some challenges and some struggles over there, and (Vederian) Lowe came in and did a great job for us.”

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Okorafor, who played the previous six seasons at right tackle, allowed three pressures to Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson in five snaps, per Next Gen Stats. Pro Football Focus gave the veteran tackle a 0.0 pass blocking grade out of 100, per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. A zero!

Mayo kept the door open for Okorafor to return to the lineup, though it’s fair to believe Lowe, who spent the majority of training camp on Jacoby Brissett’s blind side, is the favorite to start. Lowe replaced Okorafor despite missing practice in recent weeks due to a groin injury.

“Once again, it’s about competing each and every week, and we’ll see how this week of preparation goes,” Mayo said. “He (Okorafor) may be in there. I’m not sure. We’ll just have to see how the week goes.”

New England’s offensive line moved defenders off the ball in the run game, but its pass protection still stands to improve entering its Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.