The New England Patriots completely renovated their defense this past offseason. Milton Williams was the marquee signing down the middle, Robert Spillane signed for his hard-hitting ability, and Carlton Davis inked to play opposite Christian Gonzalez.
Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson were brought in to be an edge duo, and lesser-known additions like Khyiris Tonga and Cory Durden have beefed up the defensive line. The draft featured Craig Woodson, who's started all year at safety.
The additions in the front seven were particularly key. New England's run defense allowed over 130 yards a game last year, ranking 22nd overall. Davon Godchaux was among the worst nose tackles in football, and with Ja'Whaun Bentley going down early in the year and Raekwon McMillan released in the first half of the year, the front seven looked weak.
The defense was completely reformed as mentioned, and the team is now third in run defense and one of three units allowing under 90 yards a game. Until their game against the Buccaneers, New England had yet to allow a 50-yard performance from a running back. Since then, New England has allowed a 50-yard rusher in every game.
With their matchup against the Bills on Sunday, New England will have to improve quickly to shut down Buffalo's elite rushing attack, as run defense has quickly become a major weakness.
The Bills will look to take advantage of the Patriots' weak run defense
Last time the Patriots played the Bills, New England held the NFL's now-second-leading rusher, James Cook, to just 49 yards on 15 carries. Ty Johnson and Ray Davis combined for four carries for 11 yards.
Allowing only 60 rushing yards to running backs against a team that's leaned on the run all year is very impressive: Buffalo leads the league in rush yards per game and is one of two teams above the 150 mark. Cook has had fewer than 50 rushing yards just three times this season and has eclipsed 100 yards seven times.
While stopping the run was a strong suit earlier in the season for New England, they've started to struggle. Devin Singletary had 68 yards, and Chase Brown cracked 100 in the two games the team has missed since Milton Williams was placed on IR with a high ankle sprain earlier this month. Their 123.7 yards per game allowed over their last three matchups would slot them 21st in the league.
The Patriots' saving grace could come in the form of Khyiris Tonga, who's been a revelation to the defensive line at 340 pounds. He's set to return to the lineup after a chest injury kept him out against the Giants. Expect to see Tonga play a major role, along with rookies Joshua Farmer and Eric Gregory, as all three specialize in run support.
Christian Barmore is a liability against the run, but when paired with an elite run stopper, he can get after the passer in a major way. Anfernee Jennings played his second-most snaps of the year against the Bills the first time around, given his run-stopping acumen: he burst on the scene in 2023 with PFF's fifth-best run defense grade.
Expect containing Cook to be the priority: in three of the Bills' four losses, Cook has had less than 100 yards.
While it will be difficult to contain an All-Pro level running back, Vrabel and company will need to do exactly that in order to slow down the league's fifth ranked offense.