The Patriots' offensive line was a big issue in Week 1 loss to Dolphins

MIAMI -- There is enough pressure on Mac Jones and the Patriots' offense to succeed this season. But if the offensive line doesn't keep even more pressure off the second-year quarterback, the offense -- and team -- isn't going to go anywhere in 2022.

New England running backs had a pretty decent day, but that didn't really matter when the quarterback felt no comfort in the pocket -- when there was a pocket. Jones was sacked only twice in Sunday's 20-7 season-opening loss in Miami, but the Dolphins' defense constantly sent blitzing missiles his way. 

The New England offensive line could do very little to pick them up. Far too often, they were picking their quarterback off the field instead.

The Dolphins were able to get a pass rusher to Jones completely untouched on two occasions on Sunday, and both times led to bad news for the Patriots. Jones was strip sacked by Brandon Jones deep in New England territory in the second quarter when the Dolphins safety was given a clear path to the quarterback, and Mac fumbled as he was pummeled by his namesake. Melvin Ingram casually picked up the loose ball and sauntered into the end zone for an easy score, giving Miami a 10-0 lead.

Jones was sacked earlier in the game when defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah broke through the line and got to him at the end of the first quarter. Had Ogbah been hit with some resistance by anyone on the line, there was a good chance that Miami defensive tackle Zach Sieler would have gotten to Jones anyways, as he shoved right guard Mike Onwenu into the backfield with him.  

We would have loved to have heard Jones' thoughts on the game and the offense's struggles, but he was too busy getting X-rays on a bad back after the loss. Those X-rays were negative, but Sunday was not a great way to start the season for anyone, especially those tasked with protecting the quarterback of the future.

"We beat ourselves," said veteran center David Andrews. "Three turnovers, a strip sack for a touchdown. It was more of a 'you can't win till you keep from losing' kind of day than anything else."

The left side of the line, anchored by veteran left tackle Trent Brown and rookie guard Cole Strange, struggled throughout the game. Strange even spent time on the bench with James Ferentz trying his hand at protecting Jones, though Strange was back in there in the second half. 

The Patriots made a lot of mistakes that led to self-inflicted wounds. But the most glaring issue throughout the day was their inability to give their quarterback enough time to operate against Miami's blitz-happy defense.

"Not enough good things to win," said Belichick. "A couple bad plays really hurt us. Need to finish some drives better on both sides of the ball and make an impact. Just build on this and go back to work."

The offensive line now has to prepare for a Week 2 matchup against a Steelers defense that sacked Joe Burrow seven times on Sunday. The Bengals QB took 11 hits overall in Week 1 against Pittsburgh. Pray for Mac's back with that matchup on the horizon.

As down as they are about Sunday's results, Andrews remains confident the group will get it together.

 "Look, the Super Bowl is not decided today, right? We've got 16 more games now," he said. "So, look, how many years you come out here and see a team go 8-0, 6-0, and then don't make the playoffs? We try to get better each week. We'll learn from this. I thought it was a great learning experience, just a great defense who does some challenging things. We'll learn from it and move forward. That's all we can do."