The Patriots offensive line has struggled mightily, and they will have their hands full this week against one of the best defensive lineman in the entire NFL.
This week’s x-factor is none other than star defensive end, Maxx Crosby.
Since entering the NFL in 2019, Crosby has amassed 259 tackles, 73 tackles for loss and 42.5 sacks.
Crosby is more than a pin-the-ears back pass-rusher as he possesses a deep bag of tricks to live in the opponent’s backfield all game. If Crosby isn’t in the backfield, he’s clogging up lanes and setting a hard edge in the run game, opening up opportunities for his fellow defensive lineman to clean up the easy tackles.
Crosby is ranked as the eighth best pass-rusher by Pro Football Focus, and he has a 20 percent pass rush win rate against his offensive line counterparts this year, which is a scary thought considering the Patriots have one of the worst offensive lines in the entire NFL.
If the Patriots wish to get anything going offensively, it all starts with finding where Crosby is and running the opposite direction as fast as they can. Crosby is a modern day Boogeyman, and he should create nightmares for Mac Jones, much like Micah Parsons and Cam Jordan did in previous weeks.
Whoever lines up at right tackle for the Patriots will need to have a career game just to not be embarrassed by one of the more dominant defensive ends in all of football. The Patriots will likely need to utilize tight ends and running backs to assist Vederian Lowe (likely starter) by chipping or even flat out double-teaming Crosby on passing downs.
If they fail to take care of business up front, it’s going to be another painfully frustrating day for Jones and the Patriots offense.
