The New England Patriots are coming off a dominant regular season, going 14-3, and now they enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the AFC. While confidence levels are high, since New England finished tied for the best record in the league, no team is without flaws.
The Patriots certainly have some issues that could haunt them in the playoffs, but fortunately, they just received a solution for their biggest problem.
New England has struggled to stop the run this season, and everyone knows winning in the postseason is usually determined by which team dominates on the ground. Because of the Patriots’ subpar run defense, there’s a sense of concern about the team in the postseason.
However, ESPN reporter Dan Graziano recently pointed out that New England is only bad against the run when the defense is missing Milton Williams. Well, the defensive tackle recently returned, and he’s ready to stop the run in the playoffs.
Milton Williams eases Patriots’ run defense concerns entering the playoffs
In a recent ESPN piece, Graziano explained that it’s a myth to say New England’s run defense is going to be a liability in the postseason, because a healthy Milton Williams makes a huge difference for the defense.
"The big defensive tackle signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Patriots in March in free agency. He got injured in the team's Week 11 game against the Jets and didn't return until Sunday's season finale against the Dolphins.
That likely explains a lot about why the Patriots struggled so badly against the run from Weeks 12 through 17. New England spent big to sign Williams, who was drawing interest from multiple teams, and the numbers when he's on the field vs. when he's not indicate why that was a good idea."
As Graziano highlighted, the Patriots’ worst performances against the run came when Williams wasn’t on the field. The veteran defensive tackle played just eight snaps against the New York Jets in Week 11 before leaving the game with an injury. In that game, with Williams missing nearly all the action, the Pats gave up 140 rushing yards.
The defender was sidelined for the next five games, and New England allowed 120, 111, 168, 171, and 164 yards on the ground. Of the 11 games Williams played the whole game, the Patriots had only three other times where opponents rushed for more than 100 yards. After that horrific five-game stretch, Williams returned to the lineup, and New England only gave up 63 yards on the ground.
Simply put, Milton Williams is a difference maker, and he’s set to make a difference at the most important time of the season. If he can stay healthy throughout the playoffs, the Patriots should be able to stop the run.