New England Patriots: 4 Takeaways from Week 5 win

– O-Line struggles once again

One of the major concerns for the Patriots this season has been the poor performance of their offensive line. Last season, New England did an excellent job protecting Tom Brady. At 40-years-old, keeping defenders off Brady might be more important than ever, but he is on pace to be sacked the most that we have seen in his career.

With the same offensive line returning from last season, it has been shocking to see how opposite the results have been. Nate Solder doesn’t quite look right as of now, and he might not be 100 percent still, as he did miss most of the offseason because of injury. To no surprise, Gerald McCoy was able to sack Brady once in this game, as the Patriots allowed Brady to be sacked three times in the win. Brady was a little slow to get up a few times, as he was hit far more than he would have liked to be in the win.

Moving forward, the Patriots have to do a better job protecting their quarterback. Brady is having another great season, but that can all change if they allow him to be crushed week after week. While they certainly need to figure some things out on defense, the coaching staff also has to address some things on the offensive line.