New England Patriots’ front seven: top performers from Week 2

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

If we learned one thing during the New England Patriots’ 40-32 win over the Buffalo Bills yesterday, it’s that the Pats’ front seven is one of the best in the league. Thanks to the efforts of the defensive line and the linebacking corps, Tyrod Taylor is currently icing himself and the Pats’ secondary has three more interceptions in the books.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at the front seven’s top performers in Week 2. Let’s start with a free agent addition who is already proving his worth in New England.

5. Jabaal Sheard

Sheard isn’t getting the amount of snaps that he would as a starter in Cleveland, but he’s flourishing in his supplementary role behind Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich. On Sunday, he tallied a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit.

Bill Belichick has been keen on Sheard since the pre-draft process back in 2011, so it’s great to have the Pitt product in the fold. With Sheard in the mix with Jones and Nink and the two rookies Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom, the Patriots have an embarrassment of riches at defensive end.

4. Rob Ninkovich

After one of the worst games in his career, Nink rebounded in Week 2. Against the Steelers, a snail could have gained the edge on Ninkovich, but that was not the case yesterday.

Ninkovich dragged Taylor down for his first sack of the season, and he also registered a quarterback hit. LeSean McCoy did burst outside at times, but the fault was not Nink’s alone like it was last week, so you can view the veteran’s Week 2 performance with approval.

Next: 3. Chandler Jones