Patriots announce 6 inactive players - a rough start for Mac Jones and the offense

There is a lot on the line for the Patriots in their week one matchup with the Eagles and their day just got a bit tougher, as the team announced six players will be out for the opening game

The good news? Rhamondre Stevenson will be ACTIVE for today's game after missing the final practice with an illness.

The bad news? Both Michael Onwenu and Cole Strange will be OUT, a significant hit to the offensive line, making Jones' day a bit more challenging.

ESPN's Patriots reporter Mike Reiss followed up on the news, revealing the Patriots' plan to replace the guards.

Rookie Atonio Mafi is projected to start in place of Onwenu or Strange, but the other position is up in the air. It will come down to either rookie's Jake Andrews or Sidy Sow or the latest additions for the offensive line, Vederian Lowe or Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

The veterans may be the best solution to most, but Lowe has only played limited snaps at left tackle in his career, while Wheatley is yet to play in an NFL game.

It's an unfavorable scenario for the Patriots heading into this first game, but it's even more concerning for Jones' day vs. an excellent Eagles defensive line. With so many questions surrounding the offense regarding the receiving corps, an unknown day for the protection of the quarterback means there will be even more concerns surrounding the success of the run game.

On top of that, the weather isn't going to be the greatest either. It is cloudy in Foxboro, and thunderstorm warnings have occurred throughout the morning.

So far, it's all worst-case scenarios for a Patriots team in need of a positive first game to kick off the start of their hopeful bounce-back season.

Hopefully, they can come out and surprise us all today. But much of that optimism has seemingly faded with the announcement of the inactive players.