It wasn't all bad on Wednesday night for the Patriots, and these stats prove that.
A lot of things went wrong for the New England Patriots in Week 1. The 13-10 loss to the defending Super Bowl champ Seattle Seahawks has created a massive fallout since the game's final moments.
Drake Maye attempted to put on the Superman cape and take a shot at winning the game in the final few moments. It was met with an interception by Josh Jobe in the end zone to guarantee a Seattle victory and a long plane ride back home to Foxborough for the Patriots.
Still, there were some signs of hope Wednesday night for the Patriots in their Super Bowl rematch.
As a matter of fact, statistically, their offensive line looked incredibly better than it did in Super Bowl LX against the same defense it met seven months ago.
NBC's color commentator Chris Collinsworth even mentioned it a few times throughout the broadcast as he brought up how good of a game Will Campbell was having protecting Drake Maye. The Patriots offensive line also picked up secondary blitzes perfectly throughout the night.
The offensive line did so well that three of the guys on the front five made PFF's list of Highest Pass Blocking Grades for Week 1.
Right guard Mike Onewenu got an 88.9 grade, right tackle Morgan Moses received an 82.3, and Campbell, who had a major spotlight on him going into this matchup after a dismal performance in the Super Bowl (let's not forget about his injury late in the year that played a factor in it), scored an 84.4.
Wednesday night was not a revenge game for New England, and even if it was, they definitely didn't have their vengeance that night. However, of all the players on the offensive line, Campbell needed to prove he was far better than what showed up to play in February.
Campbell's bounce-back was a sign of hope, while other issues on the team get ironed out going forward. The Patriots now play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. Last year, the Steelers Week 3 loss was another tough one for Campbell, as you'll see via the chart below. Maybe he amends that matchup too.
Let's also not forget there are still a lot of games being played on Sunday and the Monday night matchup as well. Other players could match or even overtake these scores for the Patriots' front five.
Still, it is a good sign that these issues were addressed and worked on strongly this offseason.
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