FOXBOROUGH - It took until week seven of the regular season, but the Patriots finally looked like a competent football team in all phases during Sunday's win over the Bills. Maybe even better than competent; They played like the team they thought they would be back in the spring and summer and showed brief flashes in weeks 1-3.
At the root of it - at least offensively - was the play of the offensive line. That group had been held together by bubble gum, spit, and not much else through the first six games, unable to consistently accomplish the most basic tasks while too often blowing up plays before the ball got snapped.
So early last week, Mike Onwenu entered the facility thinking that day would be like any other. Instead, the coaching staff approached him and asked how he'd feel about kicking out to right tackle, where he had handled himself well prior but hadn't started a game there since 2021.
"Wherever I'm needed, I'm good," said the affable but word-economical Onwenu.
"There were a number of things involved, but had a good conversation with Mike after the Raider game, and ultimately, I think everyone thought that was the best thing for us to do at this time," said Bill Belichick this morning. "Went with it, had a good week. I thought he did a good job for us."
Belichick, who didn't have time to answer why Onwenu was moved in the postgame press conference, must have liked the film even more than expected, today complimenting the free-agent-to-be on several levels.
"Smart kid that understands all the different positions on the offensive line," he said. "Pretty good fundamental player and obviously has good strength."
Onwenu's insertion into that slot soothed a sore spot on the offensive line dating back to the summer. It was supposed to be Riley Reiff, who the Pats gave real money to this offseason, and if not Reiff, the malleable Calvin Anderson. But Reiff got exposed very early in training camp, has since been injured, and is in his second stint on IR. With Anderson sidelined because of an illness all of August, the team had to turn to Conor McDermott, who is - at best - the 4th tackle. Instead, he suffered an injury, forcing rookie Sidy Sow, a college guard for the last four of his five seasons, into that position. Unsurprisingly, it didn't go well. That led to a deal for a pair of tackles around cut-down day, Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe. Lowe started the previous four games after Anderson played so poorly that he was benched. Lowe may have been worse, rated 187th out of 191 qualifying linemen according to Pro Football Focus. Again, I have issues with their grading, but the overall point is well-taken: Lowe was bad. Very bad.
Enter Onwenu, a PFF favorite in previous seasons. He just looked the part out there and played it as well, with Sow alongside at right guard and the return of Cole Strange (knee) to left guard. The Pats established the line of scrimmage early, running at the banged-up interior of the Bills defense. Buffalo had been allowing 5.7 yards per rush on attempts up the middle (guard-center-guard), and that's how Bill O'Brien crafted his attack. The first eight carries Sunday drove right to the heart of the matter, resulting in 41 yards and an Ezekiel Elliott touchdown. Now, that's what this offense was supposed to be about. Physicality. Power. Those numbers didn't continue to be as meaty. Still, establishing the run gave O'Brien more options to pull out his play-calling bag, with the Pats attacking the perimeter with a Demario Douglas jet sweep for 20 yards or several quicker throws to the perimeter, allowing their best playmakers - Rhamondre Stevenson, Douglas and Kendrick Bourne - to get consistent touches.
"The offensive line play (Sunday) really stood out to me," said Jones. "They made everything work, run game, passing game. I had a couple plays where I dropped my eyes, and that's not on them. That's on me."
Belichick wouldn't say if the Pats are committed to keeping Onwenu at right tackle, but to switch after their best offensive performance of the year seems foolhardy. It's what's best for the team, something the coach is fond of telling us, even if he won't answer why. This explanation was there for everyone to see, and we should get another look at it Sunday in Miami.