NFL Ref Shawn Hochuli Shames Pathetic Patriots Offensive Line

Facing the Commanders' second-stringers during Sunday night's preseason game in Maryland, New England's offensive line was so putrid that even NFL referee Shawn Hochuli couldn't stop himself from taking a shot at the offensive Patriots unit.

With time winding down in the second quarter, rookie quarterback Drake Maye noticed a coverage bust in Washington's secondary and hit first-year Patriot K.J. Osborn with a downfield bomb he scampered with into the end zone for what appeared to be a touchdown.

However, there was a flag on the play for an illegal formation and offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor's third infraction of the night for lining up incorrectly wiped Maye's second touchdown of the evening off the board.  

As he was announcing the penalty on Okorafor to the crowd, Hochuli made a sarcastic remark about New England's offensive line, which was flagged eight times in the first half for a false start, holding or illegal formation. "Illegal formation, once again, left tackle No. 77," Hochuli said.

It was a funny moment, but the way New England's offensive line looked during the preseason is no laughing matter for Patriots fans as the team attempt to recover from a 4-13 campaign last season.

New England's terrible record last year put the franchise in position to draft Maye at No. 3 overall and the Patriots have to be happy with what they've seen from the North Carolina product thus far.

But the team also has to be having second thoughts about putting Maye, who completed 13-of-20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in New England's 20-10 loss to the Commanders, on the field against NFL starters with only a patchwork offensive line to protect him.

Case in point: Veteran Jacoby Brissett started Sunday's game for the Pats but only got through a series before heading to the bench with a right shoulder injury he suffered after being hit hard by defensive lineman K.J. Henry. The Patriots can afford to lose Brissett, who is the presumed Week 1 starter, but they can't afford to lose Maye or a year of his development.

First-year coach Jerod Mayo knows this which is why he has been extremely cagey about naming his starter for Week 1 and hasn't even officially said Maye will be his backup QB. Mayo did say the team is looking to upgrade its OL. “Our job is to always look for better players,” he said Sunday. “We’ll be very active on the waiver wire. There will be some good football players out there on the street, and we’ll try to get this team better.”

The Patriots open the regular season at Cincinnati on September 8. If Okorafor is still playing left tackle, expect more jokes at New England's expense — but don't expect to see Maye.