Patriots resort to an offensive lineman to score a touchdown in Week 11

The Patriots find themselves in an all-too-familiar situation heading into the fourth quarter. Besides the atrocious defensive effort that continues to plague them this season, they are fighting from behind again with low expectations of getting back in the game.

The offense has attempted to do so, with most of the effort unsurprisingly) coming from Drake Maye, which was on display yet again for the Patriots' next touchdown.

His receivers aren't getting open and the run game isn't thriving. So what's the next best thing to do?

Make your left tackle eligible and throw him a touchdown.

Vederian Lowe, the Patriots starting left tackle, was wide open in the end zone for the score to bring the Patriots within two scores. It was the first time since the 2014 AFC Championship game that a New England offensive lineman has scored a touchdown for the team.

It was a big play that happened at the right time, only for the extra point by Joey Slye to be blocked, keeping the Patriots down 15 points.

This is, unfortunately, the type of season they're having this year. Things look good at one point during the game, as the offense did at the start. But it all goes downhill from there, and far too often, they have to play catch up, which they're just not equipped to do this season.

That's why trick plays like utilizing a lineman or even their sporadic use of cornerback Marcus Jones on offense is necessary to give them the best chance of moving the chains. It's not sustainable, but it sure can be fun to watch.

It might be something we see more of through the final six games of the season, especially if the receivers continue to struggle despite the benefit of having Maye under center.

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