The New England Patriots’ offense has sometimes left something to be desired in recent seasons, but that is what happens when you lose a player of Tom Brady’s stature. However, despite not having the GOAT under center, New England has found a way to remain competitive as Bill Belichick once again has the defense playing at a high level.
If there is one thing you can count on when facing New England, it is that their defense will have a strong game plan. After some rocky performances at the beginning of the season, the Patriots’ defense has gotten on track.
New England surrendered at least 20 points in three out of their first four games of the season and went 1-3. They have gone 5-1 since that point, giving up more than 17 points only once, a loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
In three of those games, the Patriots haven’t even allowed a touchdown to their opponent. The last two games, however, have been remarkable performances as the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets had no answers offensively.
Both teams managed only a field goal in the game, but it is what New England did to their passing games that were noteworthy. According to NFL on CBS, the Patriots are the first team since the 1988 Minnesota Vikings to allow fewer than 50 net passing yards in back-to-back games.
Sam Ehlinger and the Colts managed only 43 total passing yards in Week 10 while Zach Wilson and the Jets managed 44 this past weekend. Both performances also produced the lowest yards per pass attempt in a game this season.
In this day and age, holding a passing offense to those kinds of numbers feels impossible as teams are airing it out as much as ever. New England also saw top cornerback J.C. Jackson depart in free agency, so the fact they have gotten things figured out to this level is impressive. It is yet another feather in the cap of Belichick, who makes successful game plans whether he has Pro Bowls and All-Pros or practice squad players lining up defensively.
