After weeks of trying out different combinations, it appeared the New England Patriots had finally found an offensive line grouping worth moving forward with. In a Week 8 win over the New York Jets, after all, the line performed reasonably well versus a tough opponent.
New England's coaching staff had other plans in mind, however, and the first snap of Sunday's meeting with the Tennessee Titans featured a new O-line group once more. The eighth lineup in nine weeks featured Vederian Lowe at left tackle, Michael Jordan at left guard, Ben Brown at center, Layden Robinson at right guard, and Michael Onwenu at right tackle.
The decision to go with a Robinson-Onwenu pairing on the right side versus the previous week's duo of Onwenu and Demontrey Jacobs was a curious one, to say the least. The Patriots, after all, had spoken all week about the challenges presented by Tennessee defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons; inserting Robinson into the lineup was seemingly asking for trouble given the rookie's miscues as a pass protector.
The fourth-round draft pick indeed struggled, and after 21 offensive snaps his day was over: Jacobs was reinserted into the lineup for the final 48 snaps of the afternoon, with Onwenu again making the move back to guard to close out the contest. He, like the other three linemen, ended up playing all 69 snaps on the day.
"I thought that was the best thing to do for the team," Jerod Mayo explained on Monday. "They have a good front. [Jeffery Simmons] definitely is a problem. I though that was the best thing to do for our offense."
Here is our full snap count report from the Patriots' 20-17 overtime loss to the Titans.
Total snaps: 69 | Time on the field: 28:19
QB Drake Maye* (69; 100%), LT Vederian Lowe* (69; 100%), LG Michael Jordan* (69; 100%), C Ben Brown* (69; 100%), RG/RT Michael Onwenu* (69; 100%), WR Kayshon Boutte* (66; 96%), TE Hunter Henry* (60; 87%), WR Kendrick Bourne* (54; 78%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (51; 74%), WR DeMario Douglas* (4); 71%), RT Demontrey Jacobs (48; 70%), TE Austin Hooper (27; 39%), RG Layden Robinson* (21; 30%), RB JaMycal Hasty (10; 14%), WR Ja'Lynn Polk (9; 13%), RB Antonio Gibson (8; 12%), WR Javon Baker (4; 6%), OL/FB/TE Sidy Sow (4; 6%), TE Jaheim Bell (3; 4%)
*denotes starter
The Patriots' seemingly unnecessary shuffling of the deck along the offensive line was the most curious personnel decision on Sunday. It was not the only one, though.
Another debatable call was running back Antonio Gibson playing only eight offensive snaps on a day the run game struggled. Granted, those problems had more to do with the blocking up front, but Gibson has shown that he is capable of evading tacklers out of the backfield and generating yards by himself. And yet, he has now played fewer than 20 percent of offensive snaps in three straight games.
At wide receiver, meanwhile, the Patriots relied on their established top three. Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas hoarded snaps at the position, with rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker playing only nine and four snaps, respectively in their returns to the lineup.
Bourne's usage in particular stands out: amid ongoing speculation he might get moved ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, he continues to reside near the top of the depth chart. Neither Polk nor healthy scratch K.J. Osborn appear to be viable alternatives for the veteran at this point.
Quarterback Drake Maye, who left last week's game against the Jets in the second quarter due to a concussion, did not miss a beat. He was one of five players on the field for all 69 snaps.
Total snaps: 77 | Time on the field: 37:39
CB Christian Gonzalez* (77; 100%), ED Anfernee Jennings* (76; 99%), LB/ED Jahlani Tavai* (68; 88%), S Jaylinn Hawkins* (67; 87%), DE Keion White* (65; 84%), S Marte Mapu* (59; 77%), CB Jonathan Jones* (55; 71%), DT Davon Godchaux* (55; 71%), DT Daniel Ekuale* (52; 68%), CB Marcus Jones* (48; 62%), LB Christian Elliss* (45; 58%), S Dell Pettus (42; 55%), DT Jaquelin Roy (36; 47%), DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (28; 36%), CB Marco Wilson (25; 32%), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (23; 30%), LB Raekwon McMillan (13; 17%), LB Sione Takitaki (12; 16%), ED Ochaun Mathis (1; 1%)
*denotes starter
Anfernee Jennings continues to be one of the most important players on the Patriots defense, and on Sunday had one of the most productive games of his career. Playing a career-high 99 percent of snaps, he led the team in both quarterback pressures (4) and run stops (5). His usage is a reflection of his growth as a pass rusher, and the increased role the team is willing to give him in light of the Joshua Uche trade.
As for the off-the-ball linebackers, they were led by Jahlani Tavai in what might have been his best game in a while. One change compared to weeks past was his usage: he lined up off the ball on 86 percent of his snaps, his highest such number this year. For comparison, he entered Week 9 with a 66-34 percent split among snaps played off the ball and on the line as an edge.
Tavai was a mainstay at the linebacker position, with Christian Elliss seeing a reduced role compared to the previous two weeks. Even so, Raekwon McMillan and Sione Takitaki continued to be used merely as rotational options on defense.
Up front, Davon Godchaux -- amid seemingly unsubstantiated trade rumblings -- and Daniel Ekuale were the top dogs along the interior. Former practice squad member Jaquelin Roy also was getting a healthy dose of reps again, however. Even after getting banged up in the fourth quarter, the sophomore defender finished with a career-best 36 snaps.
In the backend, the team again used a mix of players to replace the injured Kyle Dugger at safety. As opposed to last week, Jaylinn Hawkins led the charge this time around. Marte Mapu played a slightly smaller role after suffering a non-game-ending neck injury at some point in the first half. Undrafted rookie Dell Pettus was again the third member in the rotation.
At cornerback, Jonathan Jones saw an uptick in snaps again. With trade speculation surrounding him as well, the veteran saw his second-highest snap total and third-highest playing time share of the season.
Total snaps: 26 | Time on the field: 1:55
LB Raekwon McMillan (22; 85%), CB Marcellas Dial Jr. (22; 85%), S Brenden Schooler (22; 85%), ED Ochaun Mathis (18; 69%), LB Curtis Jacobs (16; 62%), S Dell Pettus (13; 50%), LB Sione Takitaki (13; 50%), TE Jaheim Bell (12; 46%), LB Jahlani Tavai (10; 38%), DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (10; 38%), CB Isaiah Bolden (9; 35%), TE Austin Hooper (8; 31%), RB/KR JaMycal Hasty (8; 31%), P/H Bryce Baringer (8; 31%), K Joey Slye (8; 31%), LS Joe Cardona (8; 31%), DT Daniel Ekuale (6; 23%), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (6; 23%), WR/KR Javon Baker (5; 19%), S Marte Mapu (5; 19%), CB/PR Marcus Jones (5; 19%), CB Marco Wilson (5; 19%), C Ben Brown (4; 15%), G Michael Jordan (4; 15%), G Michael Onwenu (4; 15%), OT Demontrey Jacobs (4; 15%), G Sidy Sow (4; 15%), LB Christian Elliss (4; 15%), OT Zachary Thomas (4; 15%)
The Patriots' special teams unit conducted business as usual versus Tennessee. That meant a familiar cast of characters near the top of the list -- Brenden Schooler, Raekwon McMillan, Marcellas Dial Jr. -- with others also seeing extensive opportunities.
Among those was the aforementioned Jaylinn Hawkins, who added 19 kicking game snaps to his 67 defensive reps. His combined 86 snaps led the team on Sunday, but it is still five short of the career-best 91 he played in Week 5 against Miami.
One notable change was Davon Godchaux not playing any special teams snaps for the first time all season. The veteran usually aligns at the heart of the Patriots' line on field goal and extra point blocking snaps, but he was replaced in the lineup by Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
QB Jacoby Brissett, OL Lecitus Smith
No surprises on the DNP front. With Drake Maye cleared from concussion protocol on Saturday, and the game going to overtime, there was no need for backup Jacoby Brissett to enter the contest. He spent and emergency O-linemen Lecitus Smith spent all afternoon on the bench.
S Kyle Dugger, DT Eric Johnson, QB Joe Milton III, WR K.J. Osborn, WR Tyquan Thornton
With no practice squad elevations for the first time all season, the Patriots deactivated five players for their game against the Titans. Only one of them -- the aforementioned Kyle Dugger (ankle) -- was kept out of the contest due to injury. The others were healthy scratches, meanwhile, including potential trade or cut candidates K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton.