The New England Patriots suffered a debilitating defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 of the NFL season, 21-14. Like the 2024 team, they are losing games by one score, which, while in some ways is encouraging (e.g., they're not getting blown out), still signifies they're doing just enough to lose. By the end of the season, these games are the difference-makers.
A major contribution to the two losses has been the play of the offensive line. After two games, things were looking up as their pass-blocking grades were solid. That nice stat belied one point that was again hammered home against the Steelers: they're giving up way too many sacks, and sacks are game-changing plays.
In three games, the Patriots have given up 12 sacks, averaging four per game. That level of major miscues is unsustainable if this team is to lift itself out of the doldrums in the AFC East. The hope in the preseason was that this team could keep pace with the terrific Buffalo Bills, led by their MVP quarterback, Josh Allen.
That was a pipe-dream. The chasm between the two squads is still as wide as the Grand Canyon.
The Patriots' offensive line has regressed
After Week 2, it seemed that the offensive line was progressing. It still gave up three sacks, but it was heading in the right direction after surrendering four against the Raiders in Week 1. Unfortunately, the upward-bound trajectory was shattered by gifting the Steelers five sacks in Week 2. Those, coupled with five turnovers, spelled another needless loss.
It's now back to the drawing board for Mike Vrabel and the offensive coaches to try to devise a scheme to get them out of this mess. They persist, however, in not tailoring their offense to the movement skills of quarterback Drake Maye. When Maye is on the move, good things happen. Most observers can readily see that, but evidently, the Patriots' brain trust can't. It's costing them games.
Conor Ryan of Boston.com highlighted the regression in the offensive line's play against Pittsburgh.
"New England’s stout play in pass protection has been one of the top surprises for the Patriots’ through the first two weeks of regular-season play — especially when it comes to the performances of rookie linemen in Will Campbell and Jared Wilson. But some of that regression finally manifested itself on Sunday. Pittsburgh entered Sunday with just three sacks in two games, but managed to sack Maye twice on the QB’s first five dropbacks of the afternoon.
In total, Maye was sacked five times and knocked for eight QB hits. One scary sequence popped up near the end of the second quarter, with the back of Maye’s head hitting the turf hard after getting knocked down by T.J. Watt. "
Ryan's centering on the offensive line's regression exemplifies that the Steelers coaching staff devised a game plan to throw the Patriots' offensive line off-kilter. It succeeded. It's beginning to look like Vrabel and company are being consistently outcoached by their opposition, and that's a trend that was not at all anticipated.
The Patriots' offense still is not catering to the skills of Drake Maye
One way to counter the pressure that seems to bewilder the Patriots' offensive line, resulting in sacks, is to rework the offense to give them some help. It's clear that Maye, only on a few occasions, has had enough time to pass before the roof, or more correctly, the pocket caved in on him. At the moment, it is what it is: a problem. That's where coaching needs to enter the picture.
It's crystal clear that Drake Maye on the move is a distinct problem for opposition defenses. His ability to run with the ball is so precise that whenever he can get into space, good things happen. The problem thus far in 2025 is that the coaching staff has failed to recognize that fact, chooses to ignore it, or can't make the necessary adjustments.
The result has been a Maye too often ensconced in a pocket that his offensive line. He then has to resort to either throwing the ball away, being sacked, or, in worst-case scenarios, gifting the ball to the opponents in a strip sack, as he did against Pittsburgh.
This is not rocket science. Vrabel and his staff have to redesign their offense to take advantage of Maye's running ability and introduce deception into the equation. Adding an available weapon to the active roster, Efton Chism III, will also help.
Using RPO, with which Maye is totally familiar, is a great option, but it seems to be a foreign concept in Foxborough. If they can't or won't innovate and get Maye on the move, unless the O-line has a dramatic metamorphosis overnight, expect more sacks and subsequent Patriots losses. It is what it is: unnecessary.