The Patriots Defense Successfully Shut Down Deshaun Watson

The Patriots defense did not make Deshaun Watson’s return go as smoothly as I’m sure he wanted. The Patriots’ pass rush was on fire, as they racked up 12 quarterback hits, including three sacks on Watson. The front seven, as a whole, did a fantastic job of keeping Watson from breaking the pocket and using his legs to extend plays.

Watson was held to only 176 passing yards on 17-of-34 attempts and 17.8 QBR rating.

The defense also forced Watson into two first-half turnovers — an interception in the second quarter and a fumble that came on the first play of the game. This helped New England build a 21-6 lead heading into halftime. Two players that stood out were Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise Jr., who each registered 1.5 sacks on Sunday. With Flowers and Wise playing so well, new defensive coordinator Brian Flores was able to generate a consistent pass rush with four rushers. That allowed him to drop the remaining players into coverage to make the passing windows even smaller for Watson.

Watson is not known as quarterback that will beat you with a calculated, systematic passing attack. He creates big plays through play action or buying time with his mobility.

The Patriots did a great job of corralling Watson and making the passing windows as small as possible. They did a much better job than their last meeting with Watson in 2017, where he threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns.