New England Patriots: Defense fails them again in Week 4
By Nick Ziegler
The New England Patriots really struggled once again in Week 4, and this time they weren’t able to secure a win.
Against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, the New England Patriots suffered their second loss of the season. The struggles of the Patriots’ defense continued, as they allowed 33 points to the Carolina Panthers.
Coming into the game, the Panthers’ offense has looked pretty poor the past three weeks. However, you would have never guessed that seeing how well they did against New England.
For the third time this season, the Patriots allowed 30 or more points, as their defense is clearly lost. Despite struggling prior to Week 4, Cam Newton was able to have a great game against New England. Newton was able to total 316 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.
The Patriots’ defense has now allowed 300 or more passing yards to every quarterback that they have faced this season. In addition to the 300 passing yards that Newton totaled, he was also able to run for 44 yards with a rushing touchdown.
Overall, the Patriots struggled against the run in the loss too. The Panthers were able to total 140 yards on the ground, as they nearly totaled 500 yards of total offense.
Now that the Patriots are 2-2, there is certainly some reason to panic. Dont’a Hightower was able to return against the Panthers, but even though he recorded a big sack, the defense still struggled overall.
Since the Patriots are struggling against both the run and the pass, there are going to have to be some major changes. With all of the talent that the Patriots have on defense, it is shocking to see them struggle this much.
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Things won’t get any easier for New England, as they will be playing on Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. With a really potent passing offense, the Patriots should be concerned about Week 5.