Musket Fire
FanSided

3 defensive MVPs for the Patriots after first quarter of season

By Patrick Morgan

ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 29: T.J. Yeldon #22 of the Buffalo Bills looks to make a tackle after Jamie Collins #58 of the New England Patriots makes an interception during the fourth quarter at New Era Field on September 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Patriots beat the Bills 16 to 10. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 29: T.J. Yeldon #22 of the Buffalo Bills looks to make a tackle after Jamie Collins #58 of the New England Patriots makes an interception during the fourth quarter at New Era Field on September 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Patriots beat the Bills 16 to 10. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

With the first quarter of the 2019 regular season in the books, who have been the standouts for the New England Patriots on defense so far?

Trying to select individual MVPs right now on a New England Patriots defense this phenomenal is a little bit like trying to decide your favorite “Friends” episode, or trying to pick the best Beatles song of all-time. A thoroughly-compelling argument can be presented for numerous options, and although it’s a fun exercise to consider, it’s also one that’s sure to provoke plenty of healthy debate and dissension.

The only real undeniable truth in these examples is that just like “Friends” and The Beatles, the Patriots defense this season is an utter pleasure to take in (unless you’re a fan of the Steelers or the three other squads in the AFC East).

New England currently ranks first in the NFL in yards allowed, points allowed, sacks, and interceptions this season. They became the first defense in NFL history to not allow a touchdown through three regular season games. They still haven’t allowed a passing touchdown through four regular season games. Largely thanks to the defensive dominance, the Patriots have the third highest point-differential in NFL history after the first quarter of the season.

All of this is to say that this defense is very, very, very good. With proper kudos and respect to the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears, the NFL’s best defense is its top-ranked defense in every major statistical category, and that unit resides in Foxborough under the watchful eye of head coach/defensive coordinator Bill Belichick.

For the purposes of this article though, let’s narrow down a large and worthy pool of candidates to select the three defensive MVPs for the Pats at the quarter-mark of the season.

Home/Patriots News