After years of spinning their tires at quarterback, wide receiver, and various spots along the offensive line (mainly left tackle), the New England Patriots found an elixir in the form of Mike Vrabel.
New England’s head coach has helped develop Drake Maye into one of the most efficient — and deadly — quarterbacks in the NFL. He overhauled the offensive line with new and improved talent at four of the five starting spots and added a pair of free-agent wide receivers, Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, who have helped transform what was one of the sorriest groups in the league.
It’s all added up to an eight-game winning streak and 9-2 start overall to this 2025 season, one that now feels destined to go deep into January (and potentially beyond).
The Patriots are not a team without flaws, though, and one of their more prominent and well-sourced reporters sees a potential fatal flaw that’s been hiding in plain sight all along this season.
Drake Maye’s ascension is very real, and it might be masking the team’s biggest problem
Patriots fans only have two things to really worry about entering Week 12: their team’s much-discussed schedule full of suspect opponents, and depth concerns throughout the roster.
The offensive line has suddenly become an afterthought, but Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal isn’t so sure.
The Patriots have been extremely fortunate to avoid any major injuries to their starting five in front of Maye. Rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson have more than held their own, with Wilson playing his best game as a pro in the Patriots’ latest win over the Jets, per Bedard's grading metrics. Veterans Morgan Moses, Garrett Bradbury, and Mike Onwenu have done their jobs, certainly better than any grouping the Patriots have had over the past three-plus years.
Bedard warned, during his weekly spot with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Massarotti, that Patriots fans are getting ahead of themselves regarding Campbell and the offensive line in general. He believes Maye’s brilliance has masked protection issues that remain far from solved.
“To this point, the Patriots are 29th in pressure allowed in the league,” Bedard said. “The only teams worse than them? The Browns, the Chargers, and the Jets, who allow their quarterbacks to get killed. Drake Maye — and this is ammunition for his MVP candidacy — he’s making the line look better than it has been.”
Bedard is sure to hear it from Patriots fans on this one, especially after he included Campbell among his “downs” for the Jets game on Thursday night. There are plenty of numbers to support his case, though, beyond what he laid out on this week's show.
Maye enters Week 12 as the NFL leader in passing yards at 2,836. He’s also been sacked the second-most times in the league at 36, second only to Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward.
The film might tell a different story, but the Patriots’ O-line has passed the eye test against some of the league’s best pass-rushing groups (with the exception of Myles Garrett). The main driver of the team’s success, clearly, is Maye, and keeping him upright, comfortable, and healthy will make or break the second half of the season.