New England Patriots have the best offensive guard duo in the NFL

Make no mistake about it, the New England Patriots have the top offensive guard duo in the entire NFL.

Protecting Tom Brady has always been of the utmost importance for the New England Patriots. In particular, the Pats work to protect Brady from the inside. He has arguably the best pocket presence in the entire NFL, consistently stepping away from pressure when it arrives. However, for Brady to be able to make the most out of his pocket presence, he must be clean on the inside, allowing lanes for him to step up.

Luckily for Brady, the Patriots have an elite group of interior offensive linemen. Center David Andrews is great, but today, we are going to focus on their starting duo at offensive guard.

Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney were taken by the New England Patriots in back-to-back drafts. Mason was taken in the fourth round (131st overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, while Thuney was the Pats’ third-round selection (78th overall) in 2016.

Mason entered the NFL as a dominant run blocker out of Georgia Tech. His pass blocking was a major question mark entering the league, but he was able to clean it up quickly and become a strong starter for the Patriots right away.

Mason has been a full-time starter for the New England Patriots at the right guard position since early in his rookie season and has grown into one of the premier interior offensive linemen in the entire NFL. He took his game to the next level in 2018 and was named a first-team All-Pro player by Pro Football Focus.

In his three NFL seasons, Thuney has been the Patriots’ starting left guard for every single game. 57 games played by the Patriots, 57 starts for Thuney. While he is not quite as dominant as Mason, Thuney has been an incredibly solid and consistent player for the Pats. He is a strong run blocker who has the power to mix it up on the inside and also the quickness to pull out and make blocks on the edge. On top of that, he is an even better pass protector.

When it comes down to it, the New England Patriots have the best starting offensive guard duo in the NFL. But don’t take my word for it, Doug Farrar of USA Today spells it out in his recent post.

Farrar ranked the top 11 offensive guards in the entire NFL. Thuney came into the mix at number nine while Farrar chose Mason and the single best offensive guard in the NFL. No other team had two players on the list.

"“No offensive guard played more snaps in the 2018 season than Thuney’s 1,371, and few guards regardless of playing time were more consistent,” Farrar wrote. “Whether he was pulling to seal the edge or dominating defensive tackles on straight-up fullback wham stuff, Thuney gave several master classes throughout the season on how a power-based left guard is supposed to go about his business. In 2018, he allowed just five quarterback hits and 21 quarterback sack, and he didn’t give up a single sack in New England’s quick-passing attack."

Farrar was even more complimentary of Mason.

"“One of the things that makes Mason such an effective player is that he doesn’t defer to anybody — in Super Bowl LIII, he did a job on Aaron Donald that most guards could only dream of,” Farrar said. “This jibed with his performance all season long, when he was the primary wrecking ball in a Patriots run game that became a major part of New England’s sixth Lombardi Trophy under Bill Belichick.“Mason strikes out with low pads and heavy leverage in the run game, pushing defenders back as a matter of course,” Farrar continued. “A good hand strike from him can push a defender back a few yards, and Mason can follow up by moving that defender clear out of the play.”“As a pass-blocker, he does a great job of stabbing with his hands, moving tackles off their landmarks. Mason is the NFL’s best guard because he uses technique and power in a package that makes it nearly impossible for defenders to beat him on a consistent basis—no matter how good they are.”"

Simply put, Mason is an absolute monster who was able to hold the great Aaron Donald in check in the Super Bowl. Thuney is a rock-solid and reliable player who always gets the job done. Both players understand their roles and expectations well and are a major reason for the success of the New England Patriots.

Tom Brady, the pass catchers and certain defensive stars will always top the headlines. However, the Patriots’ dynamic offensive guard duo of Mason and Thuney are just as important as anybody. As long as they are on the roster, the Pats are in good shape up front.