Patriots Putting On Brave Face Amid Clear Offensive Line Issues

The Patriots have issues along the offensive line, which you almost certainly already know considering how well-documented they’ve been.

New England has allowed the highest pressure rate (48.5%) in the NFL, with things reaching what is presumed to be rock bottom when the New York Jets registered seven sacks on Jacoby Brissett in Week 3.

How did things get this bad? It’s a long story, which we’ve already told, but the short answer is that injuries have continued to pile up on what was already a below-average unit. Chukwuma Okorafor was supposed to be the starting left tackle, but he left the team after one week. Vederian Lowe replaced him, but then suffered a knee injury. Caedan Wallace was called upon to fill in as the third starter in three weeks, but then he suffered a knee injury. Demontrey Jacobs, who was claimed off waivers at the start of the season, is expected to get the nod against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

“He does a good job,” Mayo said of Jacobs on Friday, per team-provided video. “He’s very coachable, I would say. He does a good job throwing his hands. Are there some things to work on? 100%, but his mentality and attitude have been great. He’s been getting better every single day.”

The Patriots might be pleased with Jacobs, but they’re aware of the clear continuity problem they have.

“When you have a good offensive line, it’s not about the individuals,” Mayo said. “We’ve had guys in and out of the lineup. We’ve got to get some continuity there and go from there.”

Sidy Sow is another player set to enter the starting lineup Sunday, but in his case, it’s an overwhelmingly positive thing. Sow was always supposed to be the starting left guard, but after he suffered an ankle injury in the preseason finale they were forced to shift toward journeyman Michael Jordan.

New England will have three of five intended offensive linemen in the lineup with the addition of Sow, which certainly isn’t ideal, but is better than what it has been working with.

“I believe we can correct the problems internally,” Mayo said. “It comes down to details. We were not sharp on our details as a unit. That’s what the offensive line is. It’s not just one person. It’s a unit.”

Sow isn’t going to fix the problem all by himself. Jacobs isn’t going to fix the problem all by himself. Zach Thomas, Caleb Jones and Jalen McKenzie — the remaining options who have yet to actually start a game — certainly aren’t going to fix the problem all by themselves. The Patriots can find a way to get back on track with some continuity, offensive adjustments and by getting healthy, however. It just remains to be seen if that will actually happen.