The Defense Is Still Great

The Patriots defense took some hits this offseason but showed on Sunday there won’t be any letup from last season’s elite unit.

Linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung both opted-out. Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts are now with the Dolphins. Those four players combined to play nearly 2,400 snaps for the Patriots last season; Hightower and Chung combined for 122 tackles.

But the Patriots still have reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, and that proved enough to shut down the Dolphins on Sunday. Early in the second quarter, Gilmore was tasked with covering big receiver Preston Williams. He stayed with him as Williams cut toward the sideline, the tight coverage forcing Williams to lose his footing and fall to the ground. When Ryan Fitzpatrick threw the ball in his direction, there was only Gilmore there to intercept it.

That was only the first of three interceptions the Patriots secondary had against Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins. Safety Adrian Phillips, a free agent pickup in the offseason, took advantage of Fitzpatrick not seeing him in the middle of the field near halftime and had an easy interception after the Dolphins quarterback threw the ball right to him. J.C. Jackson picked off Fitzpatrick in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to seal the Patriots victory.

The Patriots defense gave up the fewest points in the NFL last season and the second-fewest passing yards (180 per game, the fewest in the Belichick era). They shut out the Dolphins in Week 2. Although they didn’t quite manage that level of dominance this time, they still held the Dolphins to 11 points and one play longer than 20 yards all afternoon.