What’s Holding Back Patriots’ Mac?

The New England Patriots travel south to New York on Sunday to face their second division foe of the early season at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. 

They'll face a Jets team that lost their new quarterback four plays into the new season and is desperately seeking answers on offense. But there is a certain amount of dysfunction in Foxborough too.

And it starts with the offensive line. Quarterback Mac Jones is in his third season with the Pats but is still a young quarterback. For young quarterbacks to have success, they need protection up front. And New England seems to have fumbled the ball here.

Deficiencies along the offensive line were apparent after the 2022 season, and don't seem to have improved regardless of efforts in the draft. The Patriots drafted center Jake Andrews from Troy and guard Sidy Sow in the fourth round, then selected guard Atonio Mafi in the fifth round. None have been able to help immediately.

New England also resigned Calvin Anderson, whom they had already given up on once, and Conor McDermott, who is simply a roster filler for depth.

The Patriots running game has been anemic so far this season, with just 164 yards total through two games. Jones has passed for 547 yards, but that's almost negated by the fact he's also been sacked six times. He's shown proficiency at escaping the pass rush, but he's not a dual-threat quarterback and never will be.

Coach Bill Belichick and Co. will need to figure things out on the offensive line, and more specifically at the tackle positions, if they're to avoid watching another postseason from the couch. And it should happen before the 2024 NFL Draft if possible.

Then and only then will we see some semblance of the Patriots of old.