The New England Patriots might allow you to gain some yards, but they don’t often let you find the end zone.
The Patriots have employed a bend-but-don’t-break-style defense for a good chunk of the Bill Belichick era. It’s not uncommon to see opponents carve up New England as they make their way downfield, only to struggle in the red zone and settle for a field goal. This strategy can’t work for every team, but it certainly can for the Patriots, who typically boast a high-powered offense capable of lighting up the scoreboard.
As such, ProFootballTalk’s Chris Simms and Mike Florio both expect New England to feature one of the NFL’s best defenses in the 2019 season. On a recent episode of “PFT Live,” Simms explained how the Patriots’ oft-used defensive tactic can frustrate the opposition.
“The name of the game is scoring points and they don’t ever let people score points,” Simms said. “That’s New England. We go down and (Tom) Brady scores seven, you go down and you score three. We go down and score seven more, you go down and score three. All of a sudden you look up and go, ‘Man, the game’s even, but we’re losing by eight.’ And then it’s, ‘The game’s even but we’re losing by 12.’ It continues to go on and on. It’s the defensive game-planning and they are one of the best secondaries in football.”
We’ve seen a glimmer in the preseason of just how strong the Patriots’ defense can be in the upcoming campaign. New England only has allowed a combined two field goals and two touchdowns through three exhibition contests — all victories.
The Patriots will need their defense to continue to stand tall, too, as their regular-season slate features matchups against dynamic offenses like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.
