Predicting who will lead the Patriots in sacks in 2022

The New England Patriots will need to be their best on defense in 2022. Who on the team will lead the way in sacks when the season ends?  The Patriots’ defense is something that has been as consistent as humanly possible for years.  Bill Belichick clearly leaves his mark on the defensive side of the ball, and even when eras change and players move on, New England still maintains their strong defensive play.

Sacks are one of the most desirable stats in the NFL.  Sacks don’t tell the whole story, obviously, but they tell a big part of it.  The Patriots ranked 19th in the NFL last season with 36 team sacks.  Even though they were still one of the very best defensive units, they showed a below average ability to get to the quarterback.

In 2021 for the team, Matthew Judon led the way with 12.5 sacks.  In second place was a tie between Deatrich Wise and Josh Uche, who both notched 3.

In 2022, I don’t expect the Patriots’ sack leader to change.  Matthew Judon will lead the team in sacks, and I do think he can notch more than his 12.5 total from 2021.

He’s another year in the Patriots’ defensive system, and perhaps someone like Josh Uche can step up in year three to become a more complete player.  A second year breakout season from Christian Barmore would also help the push up front.

I don’t think Bill Belichick would care too much who got the sacks, I think he cares more than his defense can get to the quarterback and finish the play.

Judon is the most talented pass rusher on the roster by quite a bit, and even though he’s entering his age-30 season, I see no reason why he can’t earn his fourth straight Pro Bowl and lead the New England Patriots in sacks in 2022.