The New England Patriots’ problems on the offensive line were evident in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, when quarterback Tom Brady was bothered by the Denver Broncos’ pass rush throughout the game.
The Patriots began to address the issue by firing offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, the NFL Network reported Monday.
The Broncos sacked Brady four times Sunday and recorded also 20 quarterback hits, the most by any team in a game this season.
The Patriots managed just 82 yards rushing in the game, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt.
During the regular season, New England gave up 38 sacks and rushed for 87.8 yards per game, the latter ranking 30th among the 32 NFL teams.
DeGuglielmo joined the Patriots in 2014 after longtime Patriots coach Dante Scarnecchia retired.
Numerous injuries forced the Patriots to shuffle their personnel on the offensive line this season.