Here are the top areas of emphasis for the Patriots during their bye
Shore up the run defense before it becomes a problem
Through the first seven games of their season, the Patriots run defense was almost as remarkable as their pass defense.
New England allowed the opposition to eclipse 100 yards on the ground only twice, and if you throw out the singular defensive breakdown that led to Steven Sims’ 65-yard rushing touchdown in Week 5, that number drops down to one (Week 4 against the Bills). In terms of individual rushers, that game against Buffalo also represented the only time this run D allowed a player to hit the century mark in seven games (the ageless Frank Gore).
Unfortunately, this hot start to the season may have had more to do with the suboptimal opposition New England was facing than we’d all care to admit.
In back-to-back games against AFC North contenders, the Browns and the Ravens, the Patriots run defense surrendered well over 100 yards on the ground. They allowed 159 total rush yards to Cleveland (and 100+ to Nick Chubb) but still managed to hold onto the win, thanks to a series of miscues by the Browns offense. The Pats weren’t so lucky last week, falling to the Ravens after being ran all over for 210 total yards (and 100+ to Mark Ingram).
The Patriots defense admittedly did a nice job of bottling up talented running backs like Le’Veon Bell and James Conner, but it’s concerning to see the way New England was sliced and diced by Gore, Chubb, and Ingram. Who knows how they would have fared against the Giants in Week 6 had Saquon Barkley been healthy enough to play?
Two bad weeks is not enough evidence to hit the panic button just yet, but it’s certainly not what Belichick wants to be seeing either as his team enters the most difficult stretch of their season.
The Patriots still have to face some of the best rushers in the league on their schedule, like Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott, Houston’s Carlos Hyde, and Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon. Plus there’s a decent chance they’ll see a team like the Ravens, the Texans, or the Colts in the playoffs – all of whom rank in the NFL’s top-10 in rushing offense.
Next. Relax Pats fans... all hope is not lost after one bad game. dark
This Patriots secondary is arguably the best it’s ever been under Belichick, and has accounted well for itself even in tighter games against stronger competition (Bills, Browns, Ravens). It’s up front that New England needs to focus on defensively, making sure that the past couple games are more freak outliers than they are harbingers of bad things to come later on in the year.