The New England Patriots have been led by their defense and special teams this season.
That hasn’t always been the case.
For a significant portion of Tom Brady’s 20-year NFL career, the Patriots relied on a high-powered, Brady-led offense to outscore opponents and mask their defense’s shortcomings. And while New England’s 2019 offense still ranks among the NFL’s best, the folks on the other side of the ball deserve more credit for the team’s 6-0 start.
The Patriots’ defense has scored as many touchdowns (three) as it’s allowed through six games this season. They’ve also got two more scores off blocked punts.
Ahead of Monday night’s matchup with the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, Brady discussed how that shift has altered the team’s offensive expectations.
“I think we’ve got to be able to play a complementary game, so it’s not always our offense,” Brady said in an interview with Jim Gray on Westwood One Radio. “I think what we’ve found this year and what we’ve seen is our defense can be a great weapon for us and our special teams units can be a great weapon. And as an offense, we need to do what we need to do when we get some realistic opportunities.
“I think one thing we talked about this week was just having some reasonable expectations and not feeling like we have to go out there and score 50 points. We have to go out there and we have to take care of the ball, we have to play a good smart game and take advantage of our opportunities when we get them.”
Asked what he believed “reasonable expectations” would be for this Patriots offense, Brady replied: “It’s up to us.”
“It’s what we determine it to be and what our execution allows it to be,” he continued. “It’s really just trying to make good plays and good decisions. Hopefully, that leads to points and touchdowns, and if it doesn’t, then we punt and we wait for our next opportunity.”
The Patriots’ offense will be missing several key contributors Monday night with wide receiver Josh Gordon, running back Rex Burkhead and tight ends Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo all sidelined with injuries. Receivers Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett and Gunner Olszewski all will play after being listed as questionable.
