Patriots Mailbag: Getting the passing game going
Increased production from the passing game, improving the offensive line, and other issues facing the Patriots get a look in this week’s Patriots Mailbag.
Two games into the 2024 season, the New England Patriots have in a lot of ways exceeded preseason expectations at 1-1. However, some issues still loom large – as they have since the start of training camp.
More of those issues got exposed in the Patriots’ 23-20 Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. We’ll start with the biggest issue on the offensive side of the ball – the passing game – as well as questions about the offensive line and defense as we get into this week’s Patriots Mailbag.
PFF has the Patriots down for two deep passes this season, one in each game. Both were incomplete to the right side.
Jerod Mayo has talked about the Patriots needing to push the ball down the field more. Not only does this offense need to create more explosive plays, but their run game will also start being impacted when teams stack the box rather than defend the deep part of the field.
How do they go about more deep passing opportunities? There have been some chances for Jacoby Brissett to be aggressive, but on the whole he needs more time for those sorts of plays to develop. That brings us to our next question…
The best thing the Patriots can do for their passing game right now is block better and allow plays more time to develop. However, that’s easier said than done.
Through two weeks Jacoby Brissett is the second-most pressured quarterback in football, facing heat on 44.3 percent of his dropbacks per NFL Next Gen Stats (NGS). That’s come with the Patriots’ offensive line mostly at full strength – the team has been without starting left guard Sidy Sow and played the first drive and a half of the season with Chuks Okorafor at left tackle before he was replaced by Vederian Lowe.
Now, that group is getting tested. All five projected starters appeared on the first injury report of the week on Monday. That, plus a short week, are going to make adjustments tough.
Realistically, true reinforcements for the offensive line aren’t coming until this offseason. For now, the group needs to get healthy and build chemistry. That, combined with creative play-calling, are probably the best short-term fix.
Changing the alignment of the offensive line is always an option. Mike Onwenu struggled in pass protection in Week 2 and another game or two like that should lead to a serious conversation about moving him back inside to guard.
The only problem is that right now the Patriots don’t seem to have the bodies to allow that change. Rookie Caedan Wallace projects as the next man up at right tackle, but they need him on the left side as long as Vederian Lowe is injured. Once Low is healthy that change could be made. As the season goes on, it’s also worth watching to see if Demontrey Jacobs can make a push for some reps, which would help open things up personnel-wise.
LISTEN: Barth & Dolloff react to the Patriots’ loss to the Seahawks
The Patriots may need to add free agent linemen simply to round out their depth, but those signings wouldn’t be much more than that. With such a lack of talent around the league when it comes to offensive line play – especially with tackles – teams aren’t trading or releasing truly NFL-caliber players.
Because of the lack of tackle talent in the NFL and the way teams covet talent at the position, the best and most realistic way to add a franchise tackle is at the top of the NFL Draft. That’s what the Patriots should be looking to do next year.
If the Patriots are picking in the top 10, they’ll likely be choosing between Will Campbell of LSU and Kelvin Banks of Texas. Aireontae Ersery from Minnesota and Wyatt Milum of West Virginia round out the group of left tackle expected to go within the first 50 picks.
We broke down this tackle class – and other top prospects – at the start of the college football season. You can find that here.
Getting the deep ball going isn’t the only way the Patriots can create explosive plays. They can also do a better job of getting the ball in the hands of their most explosive ballcarriers – namely Pop Douglas.
Last year Douglas was targeted on average once every 4.2 routes run. This year he has just three targets on 30 routes run, with none coming last week.
If the Patriots can’t get things blocked long enough to develop shot plays, the next best thing is plays designed to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quicky, to players who can create after the catch. That’s Douglas.
Jerod Mayo talked after the game on Sunday about the coaching staff needing to scheme more plays for Douglas. That could be screens, jet passes, end arounds, or just other quick-throw concepts. We’ll see this week if there’s more of an effort to get him involved.
The thing is, Jacoby Brissett hasn’t exactly been ‘statuesque’ through two games. His sack total could probably be twice as high, if not for him avoiding rushers in the pocket. That kind of pocket movement comes with experience, and while Drake Maye is a better athlete he may not have the pocket awareness right away to make some of those plays.
If anything is going to change with Maye regards to pressure, it’s actually probably his arm strength being a factor. He’s going to be able to zip some throws off balance and/or under pressure that Brissett can’t. However that only will take him so far, and realistically the Patriots need to get that pressure rate down before they can expect him to come in and have success.
I would agree that Christian Gonzalez is “not making plays,” but he’s really not that kind of cornerback. He’s more of a lockdown guy than a ball hawk, taking away passing windows rather than baiting quarterbacks into false windows.
Through two games against two of the best receivers in the NFL, Gonzalez has been targeted just 11 times. Of the eight catches he’s allowed many have been in off coverage, so those kind of ball-hawking plays haven’t really been there. His impact is not allowing the opposing team’s top target to make an impact.
That’s not to say he’s been perfect. Obviously the coverage bust against Seattle stands out. He also has some room to improve as a tackler, like on the play late last week where he dove at Zach Charbonnet rather than meeting him head on, allowing Charbonnet an extra yard to pick up a first down. Overall though his level of play has been encouraging.
