The Patriots made a statement Sunday night, dominating the Atlanta Falcons to the tune of a 23-7 blowout in which Atlanta’s lone score occurred with just 4:09 left to play in the game. While the defensive effort made most headlines, it was the unheralded work of perhaps the Patriots most important unit, the offensive line, that deserves their share of the credit for the victory.
After the Tampa Bay game, I wrote about the Patriots offensive line struggles and the essential nature of protecting Brady, and it is clear that they red what I wrote, because we have seen a marked improvement from the unit in the two games since. In the first five games, Brady was sacked 16 times, which already eclipsed his sack total from last season ( just 15). The offensive line conceded three sacks Week 1, two Week 2, five Week 3, three Week 4, and three Week 5, good for an average of 3.2 sacks allowed, and 3.4 quarterbacks hits allowed, in that span. After Week 5, the Patriots were on pace to allow 51 sacks on the season, which would set a record for total sacks in a season with Brady under center.
However, in the past two weeks, we have witnessed a profound rise in the performance of the offensive line, led by the interior line, particularly center David Andrews (Pro Football Focus’s 3rd ranked center) and guard Shaq Mason (Pro Football Focus’s 5th ranked guard). Against the Jets last week, the Patriots did not yield a sack for the first time all year, and in Sunday’s contest with the Falcons, the Patriots did not allow a quarterback hit, also for the first time all year. Brady was sacked twice Sunday night, but one can be attributed to a communication breakdown between Brady and his line, not an offensive lineman being beat by a rusher.
This performance in pass protection is especially notable when taking into consideration the struggles the offensive line had against the very same Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl just months ago. Against Andrews, Grady Jarrett alone had three sacks, and the Falcons front as a whole sacked Brady five times, hitting him on four more occasions. However, Andrews dominated Jarrett in this one, constantly getting good push off the line of scrimmage and only allowing Jarrett to get close to Brady on one occasion. Also, Andrews and the rest of the interior line consistently created gaps for the Patriots rushing backs to find chunk yardage, as Patriot running backs had nine rushes of seven yards or more against Atlanta, and in total rushed for 157 yards, their highest rushing total in 2017.
A few examples illustrate the stellar performance put on by the offensive line Sunday night. The first example occurs on the first play of the 2nd quarter, with the Patriots facing a 3rd and 16. The Falcons rush four, and the Patriots offensive line handles it with ease, giving Brady all the time in the world to find Hogan open over the middle for a 20-yard completion to move the chains. The drive would end up in a touchdown.
The second example also occurs on a third down, this time with 7:45 left to play in the first half and the Patriots on the move. Once again, the Falcons choose not to blitz, and the Patriots offensive line gives Brady a solid pocket to throw in, and Brady is able to step into his throw, a 27 yard completion to Gronkowski, which gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs. The drive would end up in a field goal.
The last example occurs in the run game, with the Patriots looking at a 1st and 10 with 14:30 left to play in the second quarter. Andrews completely walls off Jarrett at the snap and Joe Thuney does just enough to fend off Dontari Poe, creating a massive hole for Dion Lewis to run through on his way to a 25 yard gain.
These three plays seem rather mundane and simple, but these were the sorts of plays the Patriots offensive line simply wasn’t making constantly in the first five weeks. If the Patriots are able to create running lanes and protect the passer like they did against Atlanta Sunday night, I find it hard to believe any team is going to be able to take them out in 2017. Hopefully the offensive line can continue to improve, as they will have to match up against another talented front seven this Sunday, with the Los Angeles Chargers, boasting the league’s fourth-best sack total, coming to town, fresh off a shutout against the Broncos.
