The Patriots should really start thinking about how they can upgrade their offensive line -- if they haven't already.
New England's struggles along the front line aren't hard to pinpoint.
Chukwuma Okorafor, Vederian Lowe and Sidy Sow are all injured or away from the team, which will lead to a pair of rookies and a journeyman starting Thursday night against the New York Jets. Jacoby Brissett has been pressured the second most among quarterbacks at 44.8%. Alex Van Pelt has oddly featured mostly vertical passing routes, too, with Brissett's time in the pocket ranking third-highest among qualified quarterbacks at 3.23 seconds per dropback.
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Rhamondre Stevenson has fewer total rushing yards (201) this season than yards gained after contact (205), as pointed out by Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub. Stevenson has been contacted behind the line of scrimmage on a league-high 60.9% of his carries this season, per Next Gen Stats.
The Patriots can't possibly expect Stevenson to last the entire season under those circumstances, can they?
New England head coach Jerod Mayo issued a challenge to opponents following his club's season-opening win against the Cincinnati Bengals, saying the Patriots would be run-first throughout the season. It's starting to become clear that under current circumstances, though, it'll be tough to continue living that way,
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
