Most of the conversation about the New England Patriots' struggles this season has centered on the offense, excluding rookie quarterback Drake Maye. While this makes sense, it does not tell the entire story of how poorly this team has performed. The defense has been just as bad, if not (in some cases) worse, and isn't being discussed nearly enough.
The group was expected to be the better part of the team this year, and despite continuity with the coaching staff, they have been far from that through 14 games. In fact, they have been historically bad and potentially more concerning heading into the offseason.
Significant holes will need to be addressed in free agency and the draft across the board, making it difficult to pinpoint what should be the priority. However, the latest statistics about the Patriots pass rush, or lack thereof, might push the defensive line to the top of the list.
The Patriots lack of pass rush and momentum-swinging plays is a huge problem
One of the biggest concerns on the Patriots' defense for the past handful of years has been their poor pass rush, which made the addition of Matthew Judon an incredible move by Bill Belichick during the 2021 free agency spending spree. He almost immediately solidified himself in team history with his Pro Bowl performances, but it was quickly apparent he was doing all the work on his own.
So when he was traded this past summer, there was a lot of concern about the state of the pass rush in his absence. Second-year defensive end Keion White looked the part as soon as the regular season began, and while he's been productive in ways that don't show up on the stat sheet, the pass rush has become almost non-existent in the months since his impressive start.
The Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan detailed the defense's recent output after their loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, noting it was their third game this year that they didn't notch a sack or a turnover.
At Arizona, the #Patriots defense finished without a turnover or a sack for the 3rd time this season.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) December 16, 2024
(Of note: 2 sacks were negated by penalty.)
Still, NE ranks 3rd-worst in the NFL by takeaways/game and 5th-worst in sack percentage.
Not nearly enough disruption.
It's just the latest proof that the current defense is far from the dominant unit it once was. It's possible that they were the most negatively impacted group due to Belichick's departure. That's not a great sign for their future and puts defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington in the hot seat, but it also calls the players themselves into question.
How have they fallen off the way they have this year? Are the lack of discipline concerns more relevant to the defense than the offense?
Whatever needs to be addressed, whether that means cleaning the house and bringing in new players, adjusting who they have on the roster, and/or bulking up the defense through free agency and the draft with immediately impactful players.
Something clearly needs to be done because the Patriots will only continue to lose if their defense doesn't dictate the direction of games in the future.