Tom Brady has carried plenty of Patriots teams over the past 20 years, but overwhelming weight hasn’t been put on his shoulders thus far this season.
While New England’s offense hasn’t been dreadful through the first six weeks of the 2019 campaign, it has been been far from dominant. Some of this is due to nagging injuries to key players, but Brady’s collection of weapons is in the middle of the pack compared to other offenses across the league.
Luckily for the reigning Super Bowl champions, their defense just might be the best in the NFL. The unit has been so dominant that even Brady, who has seen his fair share of elite New England defenses dating back to 2001, is watching awe. When asked in a sit-down interview with Randy Moss to assess the Patriots through six weeks, Brady offered a candid note on the offense while gushing over his teammates on the other side of the ball.
“I think it’s one word: defense,” Brady said on ESPN, as transcribed by Sports Illustrated. “It’s been about the defense and what those guys have been able to do. I’m kind of sitting on the sideline watching like, This is unbelievable. I mean, we’re getting the ball, we’re getting turnovers, those guys are sacking the quarterback, getting good field position. I think there’s definitely frustration that I feel, because we’re not excelling.
“But I also think it’s important to have reasonable expectations for what we should accomplish. The fact that we’re 6–0, I’m happy about that. I love that we’re 6–0, but I want us to do better, too.”
New England likely will need another stout defensive performance Monday night if it hopes to improve to 7-0. The Patriots will be without Josh Gordon, Rex Burkhead, Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo for their primetime clash with the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
