New England Patriots: Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise are bright spots
By Nick Ziegler
The New England Patriots have struggled as a whole defensively this season. However, two pass-rushers have stood out through three games.
Coming into the 2017 season, many expected the New England Patriots to be one of the best teams in the NFL and cruise in the early part of their schedule. Through three games, the Patriots have a 2-1 record. However, they haven’t looked very consistent so far this season.
While the Patriots’ offense gets most of the attention with Tom Brady under center, the defense was just as important last season in them winning the Super Bowl. This offseason, the Patriots did make some changes on the defensive side of the ball, but on paper, the team looked arguably more talented than the year before.
As shown so far this season, the Patriots’ defense is having a hard time stopping anyone right now. In Week 1, the Chiefs were able to do whatever they wanted offensively, and that was a cause for concern. Against the New Orleans Saints, the Patriots kept them out of the end zone fairly successfully, but they gave up a lot of yards.
Arguably the most concerning thing that we have seen so far this season was how poorly the unit played against the Texans. Seeing rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson throw for over 300 passing yards was not good, and was possibly the biggest eye-opener so far this season.
Even though the defense has struggled, a few players have done well. In the NFL, getting pressure on the quarterback is extremely important, and the Patriots have two players that have done that well this season. Both Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise might be young, but they are doing their part to help the defense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers is ranked 11th among 4-3 edge rushers in pass-rush productivity. As a player that has played just over 97 percent of the snaps, this is certainly a good number for Flowers.
In addition to Flowers playing well, Wise has also done good things. Among 4-3 edge defenders, Wise has the second-highest pass-rush productivity, as the rookie is certainly shining early on. Wise isn’t being used as much as Flowers right now, but that can all change.
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Even though the Patriots have yet to look good defensively this season, there are some bright spots so far. Now, the team just has put it all together like last season and New England should be just fine.