FOXBORO, Mass. — Don’t let New England Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy hear you say anything bad about his offense.
Van Noy defended the honor of the Patriots’ offense Sunday afternoon after New England beat the Los Angeles Chargers 21-13 at Gillette Stadium.
A reporter began asking Van Noy about the offense’s struggles in general before the linebacker cut him off.
“They ain’t struggling when they’re scoring,” Van Noy said. “It’s our job to stop them. They just gotta keep doing what they’re doing. I mean, they’re winning games. You can’t really say they’re struggling.”
Van Noy was then asked a follow-up about the Patriots’ lack of success in the red zone. The Patriots took four trips into the red zone and scored just one touchdown Sunday. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski even labored in putting points on the board, going 4-for-6 on field goals, missing two 43-yard attempts.
“To be honest, I think that question kind of sucks,” Van Noy said. “I’m just keeping it real with you because it’s a three-phase game, and everybody has to do their part. If they’re putting points on the board and we’re getting stops, and we’re winning games, I think it’s a total team effort. Yeah, it might not be perfect, we might not score every time we’re in the red zone, but we’re getting points, and we’re getting stops, and special teams is playing lights out, so that’s why we’re winning games.”
The Patriots’ offense was able to dominate the time-of-possession battle, staying on the field for just under 37 minutes. Van Noy appreciated that.
“That’s why I said that question kind of sucks, because they’re doing their job,” Van Noy said. “And the defense, the plays that we’re playing on defense has come down a lot from what it was. There’s a lot of different variables people don’t really see, and that’s one of them. That was key.”
Fellow linebacker David Harris concurred.
“That’s the defense’s best friend if the offense can control the ball like they did,” he said.
Safety Duron Harmon pointed out the give and take needed from a football team. The Patriots’ defense was downright bad in the first four weeks of the season, and the offense still allowed the team to come out with a 2-2 record. The defense has improved, while the offense has dropped off, but the Patriots are still 6-2 heading into the bye.
“The good thing, I mean, they carried us for the first quarter of the season, and I know eventually they’re going to get the ball moving, and they’re going to score,” Harmon said. “As long as we don’t give up more points than they score, we’ll take it, and that was today, last week. That’s what we’re going to keep aiming for, just not letting the opposing offense score more than our offense.”
Wide receiver Chris Hogan, who has five touchdown catches on the season and has been one of the team’s best offensive threats, went down with a shoulder injury Sunday and reportedly is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday. If the Patriots lose Hogan, their red-zone woes could continue if they don’t replace him via trade.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
