Who will play left tackle for Patriots in pivotal Week 3 game vs. Jets?

Who will play left tackle for Patriots in pivotal Week 3 game vs. Jets? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots offensive line has not done a good job in pass protection through the first two weeks of the NFL season, and now there are more question marks at left tackle entering a pivotal Week 3 game versus the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Patriots left tackle Vederian Lowe left Sunday’s Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the second half due to a knee injury. Rookie Caedan Wallace took over for Lowe at left tackle and finished the game.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo didn’t have much of an update on Lowe’s status Monday morning.

With Chukwuma Okorafor on the exempt/left-squad list, Wallace likely is the next-best solution at left tackle if Lowe is unable to play. Left tackle is not Wallace’s natural position — he mostly played right tackle at Penn State — but the Patriots don’t really have many options right now.

What is Mayo’s confidence level in Wallace if Lowe can’t play this week?

“We’ll have to see. He’s had some good snaps for us, and that’s what it’s all about,” Mayo said. “It’s next man up mentality. I know it sounds very cliché or very corny, but that’s the world we live in. This is the roster that we have, and we’re going to make do with it.”

The Patriots offensive line has run blocked pretty well through two games. New England ran for 185 yards (5.1 carry) against Seattle, which is pretty impressive. The pass blocking was a different story. Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked three times Sunday, and he faced constant pressure in the pocket throughout the afternoon. In fact, the Patriots have allowed the second-highest pressure rate (44.3 percent) in passing situations, per Next Gen Stats.

Through two games, per @NextGenStats, Jacoby Brissett has the second-highest pressure rate in the NFL (44.3 percent). Trails only Tennessee’s Will Levis (53.4).

Brissett is also 12th in EPA per dropback (-0.05) among QBs who’ve…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/play-left-tackle-patriots-pivotal-205714519.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-09-16 21:07:17

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