The New England Patriots defense continues to struggle in certain aspects heading into Week 3 of the season. Without having their top cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the field since the end of July, the Patriots are facing challenges in pass coverage, and it’s starting to trickle down through the rest of the defense, specifically the linebackers covering running backs and receivers in the middle of the field.
Although it’s only three weeks into the season, the Patriots have allowed 677 passing yards through the first two weeks to Geno Smith (362) and Tua Tagovailoa (315). This is now a downward trend that could potentially become a roadblock for the playoff hopes of this team.
New England’s defense has allowed 747 total yards of offense in two games this season, which ranks as the eighth-highest mark in the NFL.
Passing Yards/Game: 315 (1st in NFL)
Rushing Yards/Game: 58.5 (3rd in NFL)
Total Yards/Game: 373.5 (8th in NFL)
Patriots Defense Lags Behind the Offense Through 2 Weeks
A large contributing factor to the soft defense is the league-leading missed tackles by the Patriots top linebackers with Robert Spillane (8) and Christian Elliss (6) ranking as the No. 1 and 2 in the NFL over two weeks.
It’s worth mentioning that the overall depth of the position is thin with only Marte Mapu and Jack Gibbens as backup options on the roster, not to mention elevating Mark Robinson from the practice squad for game day purposes and having Jahlani Tavai on IR.
The way the defensive system is structured is to accentuate the linemen by allowing them to attack and be aggressive in their pursuit to wreak havoc in the backfield. I think we’re starting to notice that it sometimes forces the linebackers to be in coverage and out in space for longer periods of time.
That said, New England leads the NFL in sacks through the first two weeks (9), and they also have 16 tackles for a loss, which is also the most in the NFL.
The Patriots' defense seems to be a step behind the offense, which is surprising considering that the defense is the veteran group here compared to the offense. Although this coaching staff has years of experience working with each other, it wouldn’t be fair not to mention that defensive coordinator Terrell Williams has been away from the team more often than not this season.
As I’ve explained, the linebackers are definitely a concern, but the defensive coverage as a whole is not great and needs to improve. In two games, Alex Austin has allowed the second-most receiving yards in the NFL this season (162).
I know it’s early in the season, but through two weeks, it looks as if the defense is going to give the team more issues than the offense will, causing a self-inflicted roadblock to the playoffs.
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