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Patriots: Which players had the biggest impact on 2018 season?

By Patrick Morgan

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 30: Phillip Dorsett #13 of the New England Patriots reacts with Shaq Mason #69 after catching a touchdown pass during the second quarter of a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 30: Phillip Dorsett #13 of the New England Patriots reacts with Shaq Mason #69 after catching a touchdown pass during the second quarter of a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 24: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots huddles with David Andrews #60 and Shaq Mason #69 during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 24: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots huddles with David Andrews #60 and Shaq Mason #69 during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Shaq Mason

When considering the Patriots’ team-first approach, the offensive line is really a microcosm for the success this organization has had in general. None of the five regular starters during the 2018 season were high draft picks: Trent Brown went in the seventh, Marcus Cannon in the fifth, Shaq Mason in the fourth, Joe Thuney in the third, and David Andrews went undrafted altogether.

On paper, this ragtag group of guys should have graded out as one of the least-cohesive, least-effective bunches in the NFL – and yet they were anything but this past season.

New England’s offensive line finished the year ranked first in the league in pass protection and third in the league in run-blocking. Combining those metrics, no other offensive line came close to the success this group had statistically. To top it all off, the O-line also finished No. 3 in the league in terms of fewest sacks allowed; they followed through in the playoffs by allowing just one total sack across three postseason wins over the Rams, Chiefs, and Chargers .

Anchoring the unit from the inside was right guard Shaq Mason out of Georgia Tech, who finished 2018 ranked as ProFootballFocus’ No. 1 guard in the NFL. In a season where many Patriots players had a right to feel snubbed by getting passed over for Pro Bowl nominations, Mason’s lack of recognition stands out as being the most egregious.

As is the case with many of the guys in the New England locker room, though, Mason probably doesn’t care too much about Pro Bowl nods so long as he keeps competing for championships. And if he maintains the high standard of play he set for himself and his fellow linemen in 2018, he will have many more opportunities at the Super Bowl in the years Brady and Belichick have left.

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