The New England Patriots need to find some consistency very quickly | New England Patriots
One tenet of the Bill Belichick defense in New England has been a deliberate attempt to prevent a big play in the passing game. Year after year, fans bemoan the “bend-but-don’t-break” defense that allows opponents to sustain drives after drives, giving the opponent small chunks of yardage in exchange for taking away downfield plays. The Patriots rank at the top of the NFL after seven weeks, allowing just 208 yards passing per game which would imply a top passing defense.
However, that is clearly not the case.
The Patriots are fifth from the bottom of the league in rushing defense, and teams have been eschewing piling up yards through the air in order to run the ball. Now, part of that is due to the level of competition as Minnesota, Oakland, Buffalo, and the New York Jets have subpar passing attacks and offenses that perform better with a running game. New England has had four games allowing under 80 yards rushing and three games allowing over 190 yards rushing.
How does that happen?
One tenet of the Bill Belichick defense in New England has been a deliberate attempt to prevent a big play in the passing game. Year after year, fans bemoan the “bend-but-don’t-break” defense that allows opponents to sustain drives after drives, giving the opponent small chunks of yardage in exchange for taking away downfield plays. The Patriots rank at the top of the NFL after seven weeks, allowing just 208 yards passing per game which would imply a top passing defense.
However, that is clearly not the case.
The Patriots are fifth from the bottom of the league in rushing defense, and teams have been eschewing piling up yards through the air in order to run the ball. Now, part of that is due to the level of competition as Minnesota, Oakland, Buffalo, and the New York Jets have subpar passing attacks and offenses that perform better with a running game. New England has had four games allowing under 80 yards rushing and three games allowing over 190 yards rushing.
How does that happen?
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