New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Takeaways from Week 1
Aug 28, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; New England Patriots center Shaq Mason (69) on his block during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. New England wins 17-16 over the Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Takeaway No. 2: The Patriots’ Offensive Line is Very Good
The Patriots limped to a 2-2 start to the season in 2014. While there were plenty of reasons for their struggles, the offensive line took a huge portion of the blame. Deservedly so too, they were terrible early in the season. Fortunately, they were able to piece together a great group of five who ended up being a strength of the team as they raced to a Super Bowl victory.
Entering this season, plenty of questions returned about the Patriots’ offensive line. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer are solid at the two tackle positions, but with center Bryan Stork missing this game with a concussion, there was plenty of worries about their interior offensive line.
Undrafted rookie David Andrews started in place of Stork at center, and he was incredible. Little-used Josh Kline split-time at the guard positions with rookies Tre Jackson and Shaq Mason, and the three of them also played extremely well. The biggest question facing the Patriots’ offense tonight was their interior offensive line’s ability to hold up. They not only held their own, but they were a strength on the offensive unit.
In fact, if anyone struggled it was the tackle position. Solder had a rough first half with unnecessary penalties and uncharacteristically getting beat. He was actually replaced at left tackle for a bit by Marcus Cannon, who did not fare any better, getting exposed in pass protection a couple of times. Solder was able to get his game back on track in the second half, and he is not somebody who I am worried about going forward.
If the Patriots can continue to get some-what surprisingly great play out of their rookies, they are going to have some serious depth up front once Stork and veteran Ryan Wendell return from injury. I am not saying they are perfect, but after seeing their performance tonight, I do not see the Patriots’ offensive line being a problem for the team in 2015.
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