Three Areas Christian Barmore Immediately Helps Patriots In Return

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots will see one of their best players make his season debut Sunday with the return of Christian Barmore.

The fourth-year defender had been sidelined since late July when he was diagnosed with blood clots. He returned to practice for the Patriots during the week with the expectation to be active in the Week 11 home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

While New England’s defense sorely missed Ja’Whaun Bentley, Barmore should be a great reinforcement down the stretch.

Here are three ways the Patriots should immediately feel Barmore’s impact once again.

Run Game Prevention
There have been multiple games where the Patriots fell into holes as their opponent established the ground game. That may not totally be the case Sunday as the Rams rush for the seventh-fewest yards in the league.

Barmore provides a force in the middle and the Patriots hope to take control of the line of scrimmage. If nothing else, New England has an extra defender in an attempt to make Los Angeles one-dimensional as a unit.

Pass Rush
The Patriots have still found ways to pressure the quarterback even after trading top pass-rushers Matthew Judon and Joshua Uche in the span of just a few months. New England sacked Caleb Williams nine times in its Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears. Now, the Patriots get another talent back to win up front.

Barmore took tremendous strides in his pass-rush abilities in 2023. He tallied 8.5 sacks after recording just 4.0 combined through his first two seasons in New England.

The Rams could have their hands full trying to protect Matthew Stafford against Barmore and Keion White in passing downs.

Game Plan Attention
How much Barmore will impact the stat sheet Sunday is yet to be seen. If nothing else, he’s still an anchor for the Patriots on the defensive line that the Rams have to be aware of in their play-calling and protection schemes.

New England received solid production from its front four over the last few weeks. Barmore should only enhance that effort for the Patriots moving forward.