Patriots offense struggles big-time with Eagles pass-rush in joint practice
The New England Patriots offense is in trouble for 2024, based on how they looked against the Philadelphia Eagles defense in joint practice on Tuesday.
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots offense could be in for a rough season, if their performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Tuesday’s joint practice is any indication.
Most of their issues have come on the offensive line, and if you want to boil it down even further, the tackle spots. All of the top-4 guys, starters and backups. That’s where most of the pressure came on Tuesday, and the domino effect for the rest of the Patriots offense was palpable.
Incumbent starter Jacoby Brissett finished 12-of-24 with a touchdown and two interceptions in competitive 11-on-11 drills against the Eagles’ starting defense, while rookie Drake Maye finished 5-of-12 with no TDs or INTs. For Brissett, the problem was an inability to make throws on time from his usual spot. For Maye, the issue has been his handling of NFL-caliber pass-rush speed.
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“You’ve got to be quick, you’ve got to play fast, but play smart at the same time, you can’t just force something,” Maye said after practice Tuesday. “It’s just kind of getting used to it, there’s some big dudes [on the Eagles]. … Just trying to get used to it, feel it out. Just got to trust the guys up front. Our guys fight hard and do a great job.”
Eagles rushers generated eight clear pressures from individual players, most of which would’ve had a chance to be sacks in a real game. (I personally chart them all as “pressure,” since there’s often the possibility of the quarterback escaping a sack or getting a throw off). Three came against Brissett and the projected starting Patriots offense, while four came against Maye and the No. 2’s and one came against fellow rookie Joe Milton III.
Maye also had a botched snap with center Atonio Mafi, who has struggled with that all summer, and scrambled on two of his final three dropbacks in a particularly ugly 2-minute drill. You could consider those plays to be the result of pressure, too.
Of the eight pressures, four were against tackles. Projected starting left tackle Vederian Lowe allowed two, while backup tackles Caedan Wallace and Calvin Anderson each allowed one. Sophomore guard Sidy Sow allowed one himself.
Of the 17 total completions by Patriots quarterbacks, 15 of them were short passes, screens, quick game, etc. One of the deeper balls happened to be the lone touchdown, a solid grab by tight end Austin Hooper down the seam in the back of the end zone against the Eagles’ Josh Jobe. The other was a nice leaping catch by Jalen Reagor down the right sidelines against Kelee Ringo.
The 23 incompletions? Eight were inaccurate, six were broken up, four were thrown away, and one each were dropped or the result of good coverage. So the QBs and WRs aren’t totally off the hook, either.
Brissett is what he is at this point in his career, which is a serviceable quarterback when he is protected and can make throws on time. Maye, the No. 3 overall pick and the inevitable future starter one way or another, is the one that bears closer watching.
It’s been striking how much worse Maye looks when playing behind an offensive line and dealing with everything that comes with that – huddling, setting protections, pressure. He’s looked much better in 7-on-7 and 1-on-1 drills when all he needs to do is drop back and throw, including on Tuesday. Maye finished 6-of-6 with completions to six different receivers, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.
Maye also completed arguably the best throw-and-catch of the day during a 1-on-1 drill, connecting in the end zone with rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk against Eagles cornerback Shon Stephens. It’s clear that there’s talent here, for both Maye and the Pats’ young receivers, when given opportunities to make plays.
That makes it all the more frustrating that the Patriots haven’t invested significantly at either tackle spot in recent seasons, leading to shoddy protection for both their prized rookie and their veteran starter. But Maye has particularly looked uncomfortable dealing with pressure up front.
It got especially bad during the final 2-minute drill in 11-on-11. Maye faced pressure on three of his four dropbacks, scrambling on two of them and overthrowing a short one toward JaMycal Hasty on the other. He also overthrew receiver Kayshon Boutte, but had a cleaner pocket that time, a sign that he’s generally sped up when it’s a full-team situation.
Most quarterbacks would have trouble with the kind of edge pressure the Patriots offense dealt with repeatedly in 11-on-11 on Tuesday. For Maye, it’s making it harder to develop him in the first place. Ostensibly, it’s making it riskier for head coach Jerod Mayo to play him in the preseason in the first place.
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Until the Patriots can settle down their tackle situation, it’s going to be hard for the offense to get much going, especially in the passing game. And it will be difficult to figure it out at any point in 2024. It’s an infuriating development for a team that looks improved at wide receiver and employs quarterbacks that could at least prove competent compared to what they got in 2022 and 2023.
But considering the way these tackles have played, there’s a chance they end up torpedoing the whole operation.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
