Jerod Mayo Reveals ‘Dramatic’ Patriots Problem After Preseason Loss to Eagles

The New England Patriots suffered a close loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. As any preseason game goes, it was more about individual and team performances than the score. And head coach Jerod Mayo wasn't pleased with the performance of one particular position group.

In his press conference after the game, Mayo highlighted the offensive line as a glaring issue that needs to be addressed. Saying that there was a "dramatic drop-off" after the starting line left the field, Mayo couldn't contain his disappointment with the second-stringers.

Patriots News: Jerod Mayo Criticizes His Offensive Line After Eagles Loss

What stood out the most was the unacceptable number of failed snaps. In the final two minutes of the game, Liam Fornadel and Bailey Zappe were involved in the third botched snap of the night, guaranteeing the loss for the Patriots.

"I would say there's a dramatic drop-off, not really physically, but just knowing what to do between the first line and the second and third guys. They have to get better as a whole, as a unit."

- Patriots HC Jerod Mayo

It's important to note that the starting unit didn't fare that much better, either. Even when the Patriots offense was looking better, they faced a ton of pressure.

The silver lining through all of this is how well Drake Maye fared even though he was playing behind a sub-optimal o-line. His individual performance and composure were so impressive that Mayo admitted that QB1 for Week 1 was an ongoing competition.

Unless the offensive line improves their performance as a whole, it will not matter who is starting at quarterback. Mayo is right to call out a struggling group and let's hope that it looks better in the preseason finale against the Commanders next week.

More Patriots news and rumors: