Patriots' pass-protection issues are mounting as Drake Maye ties worrisome stat from last year

"The good news is that the Patriots ' downfield passing attack is back. New England is hitting on explosive plays consistently, and they've all of a sudden morphed into a team that can put up 30-plus points on any given Sunday. They're averaging 26.3 points per game, which is good for seventh in the league. The bad news is that Drake Maye is taking a beating while doing it."

"New England has given up 34 sacks this season, which is second-most in the NFL. Twelve of those have come over the last two games, including six in Sunday's win against the Falcons. And that's just sacks, not counting the amount of times he has been hit, pressured, or hurried. It's also not counting the occasions when Maye runs the ball."

"The issues have been fairly consistent, and somewhat to be expected with a pair of rookies starting on the left side and new starers at center and right tackle. But this is back-to-back weeks where they've given up a season-high in sacks, a sign of regression. "We just talked about it in the room. It wasn't our best game, and it makes everyone sick," center Garrett Bradbury said. "Six sacks yesterday, that's not good enough. ... We need to be better for Drake.""

"Will Campbell is getting the highest marks among the Patriots' offensive line starters from Pro Football Focus in pass-blocking with a grade of 74.2. He's 27th among 75 eligible players at his position according to the PFF rankings. He's followed by Mike Onwenu [72.1], Garrett Bradbury [65.2], Morgan Moses [63.8], and Jared Wilson [53.6]. Campbell has given up five sacks and Wilson has given up four, putting both players in the top-15 of sacks allowed."

New England's downfield passing attack has returned, producing explosive plays and a 26.3 points-per-game average (seventh in the league). Despite offensive scoring improvements, Drake Maye is sustaining heavy pressure: the team has allowed 34 sacks, with 12 in the last two games and six against the Falcons. Those sack totals exclude hits, pressures, hurries, and quarterback runs. Line instability stems from rookies on the left and new starters at center and right tackle, producing back-to-back season-high sack games. Garrett Bradbury demanded improvement, while PFF grades show mixed pass-blocking performance across the line.

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