The Patriots’ defensive plan has come together in vintage Bill Belichick fashion, and it might make them (suddenly) the NFL’s most dangerous team.
It it a surprise that the New England Patriots have come out of nowhere to wrest control of the AFC East away from the Buffalo Bills? It shouldn’t be, if we know our history. Is it a surprise that Bill Belichick’s team started Week 11 as the AFC’s six-seed and rose all the way to third after blowing the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons apart by combined scores of 70-7?
Same answer. These Patriots, who stood at 2-4 following their Week 6 overtime loss to the Cowboys, have rattled off five straight wins since, and those wins have been less and less competitive for the opponents. Last Thursday against the Falcons, quarterback Matt Ryan had the 10th-worst single-game passer rating of a career that dates back to 2008. Ryan completed 19 of 28 passes for 153 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 51.6. Ryan was pressured on 19 of his 32 dropbacks, and when pressured, he completed 10 of 15 passes for 77 yards, and the first of his two interceptions.
That first pick came with 12:08 left in the fourth quarter, and it was the first of four straight Atlanta drives that ended in interceptions — two by Ryan, one by backup Josh Rosen, and one by backup/backup Feleipe Franks. Against the Falcons, the Patriots did what they’ve done all season. They are not a team beholden to one philosophy. They are not playing an abnormally elevated rate of man coverage — they ranked fifth in man coverage dropbacks through Week 10 with 120, and they were tied with the Falcons and Washington for 16th in zone coverage dropbacks (177).
No matter the coverage, opposing quarterbacks are not enjoying the experience — including the Falcons game, New England has allowed four touchdowns to six interceptions in man, and they’ve allowed three passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions in zone. They’re just as happy to engage eight as they are to drop eight, and either way, the opposing quarterback will not appreciate how they tie pressure to coverage.
“That’s the frustrating part,” Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said after his team’s 25-0 loss. “It’s hard enough to beat good teams, but when you’re sitting there handing them things, and I am talking about the pre-snap stuff, those self-inflicting wounds… That’s what the Patriots have feasted on for 20-plus years. That’s what’s frustrating.”
Frustrating for the other guys, and once again, inevitable for the Pats. So, back to Ryan’s first interception, what Belichick had to say about it in great detail on Monday, and what it means for this resurgent defense.
