New England Patriots need offensive tackles to shine vs. Houston Texans
By Nick Ziegler
Through two games, one of the most glaring issues for the New England Patriots has been their offensive tackles. If the Patriots want to repeat, they need better production.
One of the greatest strengths for the New England Patriots in the 2016 season was the performance of their offensive line. The year prior, the offensive line struggled as a whole, and that resulted in a loss in the AFC Championship Game to the Denver Broncos.
Last season, the offensive line was much better, and the Patriots ended up winning the Super Bowl. While the offensive line isn’t the only reason they won a Super Bowl last season, it was an important part of it.
In 2016, Brady had one of the best seasons of his career and the main reason why was because of the excellent protection he received from his offensive line. At the tackle positions, both Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon had great seasons, and Brady was able to thrive.
So far this season, Cannon and Solder have not played up to the level they did last season. Their poor play was certainly noticed against the Kansas City Chiefs, who were able to tee off on Brady late in the game.
Moving forward, the Patriots will need both Cannon and Solder to play better. In Week 3, they will be tested again, as the Houston Texans come up to face New England. With J.J. Watt playing very well again this season, Cannon is going to have his hands full with likely the toughest opponent he will have to face this season.
On Solder’s side, he will have to worry about Jadeveon Clowney and Joel Heath. Even though Clowney has gotten off to a slow start this season, he will likely be trying to wreak havoc against Brady.
The Patriots will be entering Sunday as large favorites at home against the Texans. However, if they don’t block the talented pass-rushers of the Texans, they could very well be on upset alert. Even though they haven’t performed well yet, the Patriots need Cannon and Solder to be at their best against the Texans.