When asked if he ever had to coach a game with four backup offensive linemen on the field, Bill Belichick had no clear answer during his postgame press conference. He mentioned a strike-shortened season in the 1980s, but could not think of a scenario quite like Sunday’s.
The New England Patriots, after all, had to take on the Houston Texans without four of their five usual starting linemen. Left-side starters Isaiah Wynn and Michael Onwenu missed the game on the Coronavirus reserve list, while the right side of the line — guard Shaq Mason and tackle Trent Brown — was out due to injury.