After falling short in Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks, the Patriots are heading into the offseason with more questions than answers-especially when it comes to protecting their young quarterback. But former All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu thinks he’s seen this movie before-and he knows how to rewrite the ending.
“They should take sort of the Kansas City approach after we lost to Tampa Bay,” Mathieu said this week on In the Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu. “Patrick (Mahomes) probably ran around that whole game.
I remember some of the throws he made. He was parallel to the ground, but the very next day, they brought in new offensive linemen.”
Mathieu’s not exaggerating. In Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers’ relentless pass rush overwhelmed Mahomes, sacking him three times and holding the Chiefs to just nine points.
The Chiefs didn’t wait around. They overhauled the offensive line almost immediately, adding new starters and retooling the unit to make sure their franchise quarterback wasn’t left running for his life again.
Fast forward to this year’s Super Bowl, and the Patriots are in a similar spot. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye was sacked six times by Seattle’s defense, a number that doesn’t just jump off the stat sheet-it screams for help. It’s clear the protection up front wasn’t up to the moment, and Mathieu believes the Patriots need to take a page out of Kansas City’s post-loss playbook.
“Will Campbell is still young,” Mathieu noted, referring to New England’s left tackle. “The left side of the offensive line is young and will need time to grow, but you’ve got to be able to protect the product.”
And make no mistake-Maye is the product. He’s the centerpiece of the Patriots’ rebuild, and if New England wants to get back to the big game and finish the job next time, it starts with keeping him upright.
Campbell, a promising talent, still needs time to develop, but the Patriots can’t afford to wait around and hope the line gels. Not when their quarterback is taking that kind of punishment on the sport’s biggest stage.
Mathieu knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl-and what it feels like to lose one. He was part of the Chiefs team that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in 2019 and the one that watched it slip away in 2020. His point is simple: when you identify a weakness, you fix it fast.
While Mathieu made his living in the secondary, his insight into roster construction and locker room dynamics carries weight. He’s seen firsthand how quickly a team can turn things around when they commit to protecting their quarterback. If New England is serious about contending again next season, investing in the offensive line isn’t optional-it’s essential.
The Patriots have their quarterback. Now it’s time to build the wall around him.