Patriots Hope Drake Maye Benefits From This Advantage Jacoby Brissett Didn’t Have

FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye will have an advantage that Jacoby Brissett didn’t when he makes his first career start at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

No, we’re not talking about the obvious physical traits that led Maye to be the third overall pick. We’re talking about the group in front of him.

The Patriots will start the same offensive line against the Houston Texans as they did against the Miami Dolphins one week prior. Due to a myriad of injuries and absences, it will mark the first time this season the Patriots start the same offensive line in consecutive games.

Small thing? Not according to those up front.

“It’s a huge advantage,” center Nick Leverett told NESN.com at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. “The more that we can build that chemistry, the more that we can sync together, the better off, I feel like, we’ll be.”

Mike Onwenu, who started at right guard after starting at right tackle the first four games, pointed out how it gives the group time to assess the performance and improve on the areas they saw needed improvement. The Patriots veteran of the group agrees it should help Maye.

“Yeah, that’s for any quarterback, you want the same guys in front of you,” Onwenu told NESN.com. “But just to know they’ve played with each other, they know whether it’s picking up blocking or just playing together.”

The criticisms of New England’s offensive line are well-documented. They allowed the highest pressure rate in the league during the first five weeks. But the Patriots had arguably their best offensive line performance Sunday. Left tackle Vederian Lowe and left guard Michael Jordan, who missed time due to injuries, provided a noticeable boost in pass protection. Onwenu’s return to right guard led to a few big gains on the ground as New England averaged a franchise record 7.9 yards per carry.

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Leverett, who started his first game at center after the season-ending injury to captain and starting center David Andrews, struggled mightily in pass protection (10 pressures). But right tackle Demontrey Jacobs, Lowe and Jordan combined for three pressures allowed, per Pro Football Focus.

“Got to do better across the board,” Leverett said. “It wasn’t just me, but a lot of it was me. I take 100% accountability that I got to do better. I got to fix a lot of things, but it’s not impossible.”

Onwenu and others know their responsibilities “intensified” now that it’s the future of the franchise behind center. But at least they have the advantage playing the same group together when they host the Texans at Gillette Stadium for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.