FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ pass defense must continue what they did best all season Sunday in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers: prevent big plays.
The Patriots allowed just five passing plays of 40 or more yards this season, tied for second best in the NFL. The Steelers generated 10 passing plays of The Patriots were able to prevent big plays through a number of different factors. Key among them were strong safety play by Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon and solid tackling by their cornerbacks.
The Patriots’ Logan Ryan led NFL cornerbacks with 92 tackles this season, and that’s after allowing just 56 receptions on the season. Ryan was solid in run support from the slot and was consistent at bringing down his receiver after letting up a catch. He allowed just 6.2 yards per target and 11.3 yards per catch this season.
“(Tackling is) a big part of Logan’s game,” head coach Bill Belichick said Friday. “He’s very good at that, and he’s been good at it. He was good in college, good here. I mean, tackling, looking in, that’s our job defensively, is to get the guy with the ball on the ground. Pass coverage plays into it, I understand that, and there’s a place for players that can cover other players and not allow them to get the ball, but in the end, somebody’s got to get the guy with the ball on the ground. So, the more good tacklers you have on defense, probably the better you’re going to be defensively.”
Ryan finished second on the team in defensive snaps at cornerback behind Malcolm Butler. He understands he likely wouldn’t be on the field if he wasn’t a solid tackler.
“They made it clear when they drafted me here that if you don’t tackle at cornerback you’re not going to play,” Ryan said. “It’s not one of those schemes where you have guys who will just cover and don’t support in the run. That was made clear to me as a rookie, and then I feel like it’s part of why they took me in the draft for tackling. I feel like the harder I’m playing, the better I’m tackling, the better I’ll probably cover. Being in the inside more, a little more, I’m closer to the run, able to throw my hat on there. I’m not always picked up in the scheme. The offense won’t always account for me. It’s good. I’m able to get some tackles and help the other guys out.”
Ryan didn’t allow a single passing pay of 40 or more yards this season and just seven of the 53 passing plays of 20 yards or more the Patriots allowed in 2016.
“Just situationally. As I grow older as a DB, you can’t take away every pass, every play,” Ryan said. “So just realizing the situation, time and score, what the lead is or if we’re behind or ahead, how much time, what part of the field they’re in, a lot goes into it — in my head, at least. But just maybe allowing them to catch a short one on us and taking away something a little deeper. You limit those, then you look at the stat sheet after the game, we have more points than them, and you limit someone to fewer yards, fewer catches, and I think that’s good.
“I don’t go out there and try to hold guys and pitch a no-hitter. I feel like if you try to go out there and pitch a no-hitter, then you’ll let up some home runs.”
Ryan allowed just three touchdowns on the season and managed to pitch no-hitters against the New York Jets and San Francisco, not allowing any receptions.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
