Mac Jones had a built-in excuse.
Going up against the NFL’s best pass rush, the Patriots started two rookie backup guards, Sidy Sow,and Atonio Mafi, due to Cole Strange (knee) and Michael Onwenu (ankle) being out. At right tackle, the team started Calvin Anderson, who missed all of training camp due to an illness.
Heading into the matchup against an Eagles team that led the NFL in sacks (70) last season brought up memories of last year’s inefficient offensive line. The group played so poorly to start the season, that we saw three quarterback injuries (Jones’ back and ankle as well as Brian Hoyer’s concussion) in the first three weeks.
However, credit goes to the players as well as offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm. The Patriots didn’t have a repeat of last year when Jones suffered a back injury in Week 1 after getting hammered by two untouched Miami Dolphins pass rushers.
In the end, Jones was sacked twice and hit four other times in Sunday’s loss. David Andrews was proud of how his rookie teammates, Sow and Mafi, performed.
“I think the last time that would have happened was 2016 with [Joe] Thuney and [Ted] Karras and then maybe me and Shaq [Mason] in 2015. I thought they did a good job,” Andrews said. “They got a lot of reps all summer, I think that helped them. You’ve got to learn the hard way, right? So, you learn by going out there – we all do, right? By taking our licks and bumps, getting beat, and things like that.
“I’m proud of the way they competed, the way they answered against a really good defensive football team and arguably one of the best fronts in football.”
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The Patriots struggled to run inside on Sunday and that was reflective of having two inexperienced guards. However, O’Brien did a fine job of dialing up play calls that allowed Jones to get rid of the ball quickly. That led to the quarterback not being hit or sacked in the first half.
Sow and Mafi had their hands full with Jalen Carter, who was drafted ninth overall in the spring. He beat both rookies (Sow once and Mafi twice) in the first half to pressure Jones.
The Eagles dialed up their pass rusher more so in the second half and were able to wear the Patriots offensive line down. Jones was hit for the first time at 7:03 of the third quarter when Brandon Graham stunted and shot into a gap untouched because Trent Brown and Mafi were already blocking Eagles players.
Philadelphia’s defensive line started to get the better of the Patriots in the fourth quarter. Sow allowed a hit by Brandon Graham at 12:34 of the fourth. Anderson allowed a hit by Haason Reddick on fourth-and-3 at 9:39 of the fourth. That directly led to a Jones’ incomplete pass and a turnover on downs. Anderson allowed another hit, by Milton Williams, at 2:29 of the fourth on a third-and-12. Jones got that pass off, but it was dropped by Kendrick Bourne.
The Eagles notched their only two sacks in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Josh Sweat beat Trent Brown at 2:59 of the second quarter to get to Jones. The Patriots quarterback was hit in 2.82 seconds on that play. Then with 58 seconds left in the game, Carter sacked Jones by getting past Andrews. This was a tough play to put on the Patriots center. The Eagles sent a blitz and Jones moved up in the pocket to avoid the free rusher. Andrews had Carter blocked, but he was able to stretch out his arm and grab Jones for the sack.
Overall, the Patriots pass protection played well despite being without two starting guards. It was a performance that certainly could’ve been a lot worse.
Here are the Patriots pass protection stats vs. the Eagles
| Sacks | Hits | Holds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Brown | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| David Andrews | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Calvin Anderson | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Sidy Sow | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Atonio Mafi | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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