Patriots’ new-look offensive line answers the bell in prime time victory

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye entered Monday night with a brand new blindside for the first time this season.

With the Patriots losing both left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and left guard Jared Wilson (ankle) in Week 12, New England inserted Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown into the starting lineup against a talented Giants pass rush.

Playing with Lowe and Brown was nothing new for Maye, however. During his rookie season, Lowe was a regular at left tackle while Brown started 10 games at center.

Heading into Monday, Maye made sure to reinforce the belief he had in each player.

“I told them I had full faith in them,” Maye said. “We had a lot of reps last year dropping back and trusting those guys. I think they’re great players, and they’ve stepped up, like I said, in pregame. I think they stepped up all year anybody that’s been thrown in the fire. Proud of them.

“Proud of them for working hard and learning this offense and staying on the same page and being on the same page all night and doing a great job tonight.”

The duo did their part to keep Maye clean, as the sophomore quarterback was under pressure on just 25 percent of his drop backs Monday night — the second lowest mark of his career.

“I think they handled it well,” head coach Mike Vrabel said post game. “I wouldn’t say that was an issue. We just put the next two guys in there. Ben’s been ready for his opportunity. Vederian has been working hard and worked hard in the offseason to come back from his shoulder. So again, to get those guys a full week of practice.”

In total, Maye was additionally sacked just one time — on a play the quarterback took the blame for. The full week of practice playing next to each other was perhaps the biggest reason for Lowe and Brown to produce those results.

“It’s really just a lot of talking, preparation and making sure that we know the game plan in and out — just communicating and making sure we’re on the same page,” Lowe said. “At the end of the day, we knew if we just talked to one another and we made sure we were on the same page, we would be fine.

“It definitely helps having a full week of preparation, getting all the tips and reminders from the coaches and what they see throughout the week. It definitely helps, 100 percent. They laid together a plan for the rushers they (Giants) have. The Giants have a great front, a lot of athleticism, and we went out there and executed.”