Mike Onwenu is doing what no one else on the Patriots' offense can right now

The New England Patriots' offensive line has struggled in a major way across this playoff run. In each of their three games, they've allowed five sacks, something that happened just three times in their 17 regular-season games. Before the playoffs, they hadn't allowed five-plus sacks in a game since Week 9.

While rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson have been inconsistent at best, right guard Mike Onwenu is playing his best football when it matters most. He's allowed just two sacks all season — and hasn't given one up since Week 15.

On Sunday, against Denver's top-five defense, he was the only offensive lineman of the four teams playing in a conference championship who was completely clean: not a single pressure allowed, per Pro Football Focus.

PFF's Zoltán Buday described Onwenu as a "key cog in the machine" in a recent writeup on the Patriots' offensive line play this season.

"The Michigan product is the only starter on the offensive line who was already on the team last season," he wrote, "He missed just 13 of the offense’s 1,286 snaps this season, but more importantly, he played every rep at the same position."

Mike Onwenu is stepping up when it matters most

Mike Onwenu having success shouldn't come as a surprise. He made it to the playoffs with New England in 2021 with Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, and is one of six rostered Patriots who can say he played in a playoff game with New England before this season.

Onwenu's clean game was his first of the playoffs so far, but his sixth on the season. He had three weeks, from Week 16 to 18, in which he didn't allow a single pressure. He's allowed multiple pressures in a game only six times all year, the last time being in Week 15 against the Bills.

New England will need to both establish the run and pass protect against a Seattle front that features both Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy, and elite guard play will be a necessity to do that. While the rest of the line has yet to settle in to do their part in protecting Maye, Onwenu's ridiculous 1.9 percent pressure rate in the playoffs proves he was worth every penny of the $57 million deal he signed before last year.