Patriots backup turns concerning role into a pleasant surprise vs the Giants

After an injury-plagued win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, there were a lot of concerns surrounding the potential downfall of the New England Patriots' offense, as two starting linemen will miss significant time moving forward.

Losing Will Campbell and Jared Wilson was expected to take a major toll on the offense, and their first test would be against the Giants, with most believing it might have been a disaster given who makes up their defensive line. But the players replacing the injured rookies, one of whom was Vederian Lowe, outperformed any expectations that had been set.

The concerns surrounding Lowe were particularly highlighted in the days leading up to the Week 13 matchup, primarily due to his performance during the 2024 season.

Because he'd be filling in at left tackle, protecting Drake Maye's blind side, it was crucial he didn't struggle too much, and from what was seen on Monday night, he accomplished that and more, and deserves the recognition.

The Patriots should be thrilled with how the backup offensive line performed against the Giants

Although the Giants' defense might not be considered one of the strongest in the NFL, they have a defensive front made up of some of the best pass rushers in the league today, including Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

That was quite a first test for the new offensive line grouping, despite having more experience with Maye from the 2024 season, and they delivered at a level that not many anticipated, especially Lowe.

He was certainly a bit shaky at the start of the game, but was able to be consistently productive throughout the night and was far more accurate than he was last year. Some of that could be attributed to him finally fixing an injury he played through all season, or maybe his comfort from previous experience.

Regardless, it looks like Maye and offense are in good hands with Lowe (and Ben Brown) substituting in for the foreseeable future.

This certainly raises the expectations moving forward, with the postseason becoming the focus through the final four games of the year. On top of that, the division and the conference look attainable, as the Patriots are currently the No. 1 seed in the. AFC.

They can lock up the division with a win against the Bills in Week 15 for the first time since the 2019 season, which might be decided based on how the offensive line performs.

From what we saw this week from Lowe and Brown, they look like exactly what the team needs, as long as they're needed.