Dominant Patriots' Biggest Concern Rests with Offensive Line Play

By this point in the season, we have learned that the New England Patriots' offensive production is directly proportionate to the performance of their offensive line.

In their 26-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the offense came up on the wrong side of that graph.

Sure, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was sacked only once on the evening, and it was the first sack allowed by the Patriots since Week 9 against the Denver Broncos. Yes, the Patriots ran the ball for 4.7 yards per carry on offense. Much of that was thanks to Brady avoiding pressure and the Patriots backs picking up yards after contact.

In short, despite the numbers, the offensive line played more like it did in the first four games of the season than it did during New England's seven-game winning streak.

A shutout by the Patriots defense in the red zone led to four field goals by the Packers. The defense was gashed for 478 total yards of offense, and the Packers held the ball for a whopping 36:35. But all those yards and all that time of possession led to only 26 points. Green Bay had scored 32.2 points per game this season before Sunday.

This loss was on the offense, and most of it was due to an offensive line that got dominated up front.

For how poorly that unit played, it was fitting that the Patriots' last drive ended with a sack of Brady. 

"I'd have to see it," Brady said, asked whether it was a coverage sack. "Things always happen pretty quick out there. It was a zone coverage, and I was trying to find somebody, and they just got a hold of me. I would hate to take a sack in that situation. I would have liked to score, that's what I would have liked to do." 

That wasn't the only time Brady was hit. It appeared running back Shane Vereen dropped a pass in the flat, but it was tipped at the line. Brady had another incomplete pass when outside linebacker Clay Matthews beat offensive tackle Marcus Cannon off the edge to generate pressure.

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Brady has been hit during the throwing motion at least three times today

— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) November 30, 2014"

Brady said he would have liked to score more points, but the Patriots also would have liked to convert a few more third downs.

Sure, a 4-of-10 conversion rate isn't terrible, but there were some early missed opportunities that came up just short (3rd-and-2 run by LeGarrette Blount stopped for no gain, 3rd-and-5 pass to Julian Edelman tackled one yard short of a first down). With conversion on those key third downs, the Patriots may not have fallen behind 13-0 in the first quarter.

But they had their chances down the stretch. They just couldn't find rhythm.

The lack of commitment to the running game was a bit of a surprise, given the Packers' poor standing against the run (30th overall), but aside from a few big runs, the Patriots didn't have much success on the ground.

Blount had 10 carries for 58 yards (5.8 yards per attempt), but minus two 13-yard runs, he had only eight carries for 32 yards (4.0 YPA). Brandon Bolden had three carries for 17 yards, but minus a hard-nosed 12-yard carry, he finished with two carries for five yards.

All of those long carries were thanks to the running backs lowering their shoulders and miraculously creating yards after contact. 

Six of the Patriots' 17 rush attempts went for two yards or fewer.

Games	Car	Yds	YPA	TD
First 4	105	390	3.7	2
Previous 7	209	857	4.1	7

The running game has been such a key for the Patriots through the past seven games, taking 209 carries for 857 yards (4.1 YPA) and seven touchdowns—much better than they performed in the first four games, with 105 carries for 309 yards (3.71 YPA) with two touchdowns.

Brady has been a frequent play-action passer at 28.3 percent, the fifth-highest percentage of the year headed into Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). 

When those two elements are not working at peak effectiveness, the Patriots offense can be slowed down, and both elements need the offensive line playing at a high level. 

We saw what the Patriots offense is capable of doing when the offensive line is playing well. For seven weeks, it was an unstoppable force regardless of its opponent. Many of the NFL's best defenses stepped up and were knocked down.

We didn't learn a whole lot about the offense that we didn't know beforehand: The offense will only play as well as the offensive line plays.

One thing we did learn about the Patriots as a team: They can compete with a top team when their offensive line plays poorly, thanks to a stout defense.

The regular season never matters nearly as much as the postseason in New England. But if the Patriots want to win the Super Bowl, they'll need a complete performance on both sides of the ball for three (or four) games in January and February. In order for the offense to hold up its end of the bargain, the offensive line must get back to playing at a high level.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.