After a largely successful 2019 season, New England’s defense once again is poised to be the Patriots’ strong suit in 2020.
That said, there is one area where the unit needs to improve in the upcoming campaign.
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi addressed this defensive shortcoming in a recent column for The Athletic. As the 2020 season nears, Lombardi asked both an obvious and not-so-obvious question for all 32 teams across the league. While the Patriots’ quarterback concerns seemingly go without saying, Lombardi wondered if New England would be able to better its tackling from a season ago.
“The Patriots were excellent in so many categories on defense last season, but not when it came to allowing yards after the catch,” Lombardi wrote. “They ranked 26th in this area and need to get better tackling performance from their linebackers and safeties especially later in the season.”
New England would be wise to heed Lombardi’s advice. Considering it very well could be an underwhelming campaign for Jarrett Stidham and Co., the Patriots likely won’t be able to afford allowing several chunk plays per game.
