FOXBORO, Mass. — Most NFL coaches would be happy if their front seven produced eight sacks in a game. Bill Belichick, always one to push his players, focuses on the negatives just as much as the positives.
The New England Patriots sacked Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor eight times for a loss of 53 yards in Week 2. Taylor also hurt the Patriots on the ground, however, rushing for 43 yards and one touchdown on five carries.
“I didn’t think it was all that good last week, to tell you the truth,” Belichick said Friday, two days before his Patriots host the Jacksonville Jaguars. “We let the quarterback out a lot. They scored 32 points. I don’t think that’s anything to be proud of defensively. There were some good things, there were a lot of things to work on. We have to play better this week.”
Taylor was 23-of-30 passing for 242 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions. The Patriots’ defense was stout through three quarters, allowing just 13 points, but they let the Bills back into the game in the fourth quarter, when Buffalo scored 19 unanswered points.
The Patriots already have 11 sacks on the season. The single-season sacks record for a Belichick-head coached defense is 48, so the 2015 Patriots are well on their way to shattering that mark.
Chandler Jones leads the team with three sacks, followed by Jamie Collins (2.5) and Dont’a Hightower (1.5). Rob Ninkovich, Jabaal Sheard, Alan Branch and Malcom Brown all have one apiece.
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has been sacked just five times, and Jacksonville’s offensive line has allowed 17 hurries and six quarterback hits in two games, according to Pro Football Focus.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports Images
