On Monday, Jerod Mayo made his weekly “Mayo Monday” appearance as a part of WEEI’s “Patriots Monday” coverage.
And while the head coach of the Patriots’ message to the offense of pushing the ball down the field was made loud and clear throughout the interview, he also made a point to criticize what he’s seen from his pass protection thus far through two games.
“I thought the pass protection was average, at best,” said Mayo. “They brought guys from different sides of the field, you know, stars and [middle linebackers]. And even when they rushed four, they were able to get, you know, back to Jacoby [Brissett].
“It doesn’t have to be a sack to affect the passing game. Like, just bodies around the quarterback affect the passing game. So we have to do a better job, you know, just protecting Jacoby, and that’s with the line and the backs and the tight ends as well.”
Brissett, the starting quarterback not known for being the most mobile of signal callers, was sacked three times in the Patriots’ 23-20 overtime loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, losing their home opener for a fourth consecutive season.
But that sack total only getting to three is a bit of a minor miracle, as the Seattle defense was in the backfield all game long, forcing Brissett out of the pocket and into bad incompletions. If a QB with less pocket awareness than Brissett had been back there, we could be talking about a 9-to-10 sack day for the Seahawks.
“He made some plays with his feet - you know, he was able to extend those plays,” said Mayo. “At the same time, you don’t want to see your quarterback having to run away from pressure and make throws all day. You want him to be able to feel comfortable back there and make the throws that we need as a team.
“And Jacoby - look, he’s not the fastest. At the same time, he has good pocket presence. But I would still say overall, we just need to do a better job of protecting him.”
Things will not get easier for the Patriots’ pass protection on Thursday night in their Week 3 matchup with the Jets (1-1), as New York’s front seven has accounted for seven sacks through their team’s first two games of 2024. Four of those seven sacks came in their Week 2 win over Tennessee, beating the Titans 24-17.
That divisional battle between New England and New York gets underway at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.