'We still have a lot of progress to make'
The Patriots’ offensive line struggles had been a glaring concern heading into Week 1 of the season, especially after the unit committed 10 penalties for 157 yards in the final tuneup against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 25. First-year head coach Jerod Mayo admitted he was concerned with the “lack of discipline” and hoped to have the issue resolved before New England took on the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium to begin the season.
After the abysmal showing against the Commanders, the Patriots’ offensive line corrected its ways and had a much better showing in a surprising win over the Bengals on Sunday. The offense was penalized three times for a loss of 10 total yards (one penalty was declined). None of the infractions were due to illegal formation.
“Everybody’s talking about our O-line,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett told reporters after the game, per team-provided transcript. “We know in this room how confident we are in that group.”
Brissett continued: “I don’t have the stat sheet. (…) My hat goes off to that O-line and to (offensive line coach) Scott (Peters) for what he did with those guys. I know they’re hungry to get back out there to do it again next week. I’m super proud of those guys.”
Even with the better showing against the Bengals, Patriots offensive tackle Vederian Lowe doesn’t necessarily feel vindicated after one win.
“With coach (Jerod) Mayo, he always talks about process, progress,” Lowe said, per team transcript. “So, every single week, we start the process, adm we make progress every week, and the payoff will come later.
“… It’s still part of the process. It’s great to start out 1-0, and every week is its own week, its own game. But we still have a long way to go, and we still have a lot of progress to make. It feels really good to say that (we had a clean game), but there’s still work to be done.”
Lowe said the offensive line will focus on watching the game film and clean up any mishaps as they prepare to host the Seattle Seahawks in the home opener at Gillette Stadium in Week 2.