Patriots Admit Recent Newcomer Played Better Than Veterans in Week 6
The New England Patriots' free-fall continued in Week 6 with a 41-21 blowout loss to the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. As usual, the Patriots' offensive line was one of the team's weak points as the Texans amassed 11 quarterback hurries, five QB hits, and four sacks while forcing Drake Maye to throw two interceptions in his first-ever NFL start.
Even though New England's o-line left much to be desired, it wasn't all bad in head coach Jerod Mayo's eyes. On Monday, the first-year bench boss shared praise regarding his newest blocker.
Patriots News: Jerod Mayo Praises Ben Brown After Week 6 Debut
Mayo has named offensive guard/center Ben Brown as the Patriots' "best lineman" in Week 6, per Boston Sports Journal's Mike Giardi. According to Giardi, the veteran blocker caught a red-eye flight to Boston on Thursday and didn't learn that he was starting until Sunday morning.
"He was our best lineman." - Mayo on Ben Brown, who was signed off the Vegas practice squad Wednesday night, took the red-eye to Boston so he could practice Thursday and was told he was starting yesterday morning.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 14, 2024
It's a pretty telling message to the rest of the o-line that Brown is already seen as one of the Patriots' best blockers despite only being with the franchise for less than a week.
Brown, 26, was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL draft. He's spent time on practice squads for the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals before being signed off the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad by the Patriots on Oct. 10.
According to Pro Football Focus, Brown played 66 offensive snaps during his second-ever NFL game on Sunday. The former Ole Miss product didn't allow a single pressure throughout those opportunities as he finished the game with a 72.3 pass block grade and a mark of 48.7 as a run blocker.
With the Patriots' center depth depleted, it'll be interesting to see if Brown can hold on to the starting center job. Mayo told reporters last week that Cole Strange's knee rehab is going well and that the coaching staff is fully considering giving the former 2022 first-round pick time at center.
If Brown can replicate Sunday's success, the Patriots' offensive line will be better for it. Not only does that mean they won't have to rush Strange back into the lineup, but they can also continue playing him as a guard seeing as he's never played a center snap in college or the NFL.
Brown will have a chance to make a strong second impression when the Patriots travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. New England is currently heading into the Week 7 matchup as the 5.5-point underdogs on FanDuel Sportsbook.
More Patriots news and analysis:
feed
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change