FOXBORO, Mass. -- Matthew Judon has been a hit in his first year-plus with the New England Patriots, but he thinks things could be a lot better.
In 23 games with the Patriots, Judon has compiled 18.5 sacks, 37 QB hits, 18 tackles for loss and 80 total tackles. The 30-year-old has been playing his best football as of late, becoming the first player in Patriots history to record a sack in each of the team's first five games -- passing the previous record of four straight set by Andre Tippett in 1986. The game in which he accomplished that feat may have been his best as a Patriot, as he recorded two sacks and forced a fumble that was scooped up by Kyle Dugger and returned for a touchdown. For his effort, Judon was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
The only thing missing from the start of Judon's tenure, however, is a great team record, as the Patriots are 12-11 with Mr. Red Sleeves on their roster. Speaking with reporters Thursday, Judon said he believed that record could be a whole lot different.
"I'm 25 games in and I think we could be 25-0, honestly, I think we could be 25-0," Judon said. "We have a team and a unit that can do that. And we just have to continue to work our butts off, continue to strive for greatness. And we can do it, we competed, but we got to show up to work everyday. It's not only on Sunday's when the cameras are on and the lights are bright. We got to work every day.
"When nobody sees us and nobody cares, nobody's tweeting about it and nobody's here in our face with cameras, that's when we're really working. So when we all do that, when we all commit and strive for one thing, we will be dangerous. But right now we're still striving for greatness. We don't see what we read."
Though Judon was fed bad information (he's 23 games in), that's quite the bold declaration.
Of the 11 losses Judon has suffered in New England, only four have been by one possession, with six coming by 10 points or more, including the blowout Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills last postseason. So, in no world should the Patriots be undefeated in the Judon era. They could, however, have a much better record if they did some of the little things, something Judon and surely Bill Belichick have noticed.
The Patriots are entering the cupcake portion of their schedule with the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts combining to make up their next five games. Those teams have a combined 7-10-1 record and aren't exactly a murderers' row of talent. A potential season-defining stretch kicks off in Cleveland on Sunday with a matchup against the Browns.
