Is Patriots defense primed to peak over final eight-game gauntlet? - Patriots.com

As was the case in 2021, the Patriots defense hits the bye week flying high. Last year, they were coming off of a wind-swept victory over the Bills in Buffalo, capping off a seven-game win streak that had the team atop the conference in a race for the singular playoff bye. But coming out of the early-December break the Patriots had three of their worst defensive performances of the season in their final four games before saving their worst for last in a 47-17 domination at the hands of the Bills.

This year the Pats defense is back at it, coming in at seventh in points against, second in takeaways, 5th overall in defensive DVOA and first in defensive EPA. They overwhelmed Sam Ehlinger and the Colts, not allowing a third-down conversion in fourteen attempts.

Any way you cut it, the Pats defense is playing really well, but will it be enough as the games become even more critical?

"It was just good team defense," said Bill Belichick following the win over the Colts. "Any time you have a good pass rush, you have good coverage. Any time you have good coverage, you'll have a good pass rush. Some of those sacks looked like coverage sacks, where there was nobody to throw to. Some of them were great rush sacks where they didn't have time to execute the passing game. But good team defense is really what it's about."

After tying a team record with nine sacks there are reasons to feel both confident but also trepidatious about how this year's squad will fare down the stretch. At 5-4, the Patriots are right in the playoff mix, but based on the offense's struggles there seems to be even more pressure on the defense to deliver in the face of the toughest, defining final frame of the season.

After the bye week, things kick off with a huge rematch against the Jets, who are coming off their own impressive victory over the division-leading Bills. That win, along with Miami's defeat of the Bears, have kept the Patriots at the bottom of the AFC East illustrating just how competitive the division has become and how critical every one of the final eight games will be.

"We just have got to continue to build," acknowledged captain Devin McCourty. "It is not going to get easier at this point in the season. We have got to still play better, it is what it is. Especially the week after next, going back into the division with the Jets."

The Jets believe they should've won last weekend over the Patriots. It's hard to understate how important the rematch Foxborough with both teams coming off their bye weeks will be. But that's just the start of a final gauntlet that will include two games against the Bills and one against Miami, who are a combined 8-1 against the Pats over their last nine games against them.

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2022-11-07 15:12:11Z
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