The New England Patriots haven’t shown much weakness throughout an eight-game winning streak, but the defense may have to address one area to launch a fruitful playoff run. ESPN’s “NFL Live” panel scrutinized some potential flaws that could block New England’s path back to the Super Bowl. Mina Kimes worried about how the pass rush may affect the team’s secondary. “For me, it would be the pass defense,” Kimes said on Tuesday. “I think there’s a couple of things that are making life harder for these cornerbacks, one of which is the absence of pressure.” Kimes noted that the Patriots rank 27th in pass rush win rate with a standard four-man pass rush. They have 24 sacks in 11 games this season. “Opposing quarterbacks have a very long time to throw,” Kimes added. “These cornerbacks are just being asked to cover for too long.” Story continues below advertisement New England enters Week 12 allowing an NFL-low 84.7 rushing yards per game. Kimes wondered how efforts to curb the ground game could jeopardize the passing defense. “They’re phenomenal against the run, but they’re phenomenal against the run, in part, because they’re putting a lot of bodies in the box,” Kimes said. “Not big bodies, just a lot of players. They have the third-lowest light box rate in football. Which is great except for, once again, I think they’re asking too much of these corners who have struggled in man coverage. “The pass rush has to improve, and they got to make life easier on these corners. Because teams with really good passing attacks, I think, can take advantage.” Story continues below advertisement The Cincinnati Bengals could put New England’s passing defense to the test this Sunday, especially if Joe Burrow returns. The Patriots will also face steep challenges when opposing the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens in December.