This one tendency could either elevate or expose Mike Vrabel's Patriots

This 2025 NFL season has been somewhat of a throwback through 11 weeks, with the top contenders winning behind an influx of heavy personnel and power rushing attacks.

That just makes what Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots have been doing even more impressive.

The Patriots enter their Week 12 road game against the Cincinnati Bengals with the NFL’s No. 1 run defense, allowing less than 85 yards on the ground per game. They’ve already faced some of the best running backs in football, including De’Von Achane, James Cook, and Bijan Robinson; only one rusher has eclipsed 60 rushing yards against Vrabel’s defense — and it was a quarterback, Justin Fields.

New England’s prowess at stopping the run has been somewhat of an anomaly. Journeyman veterans like linebacker Robert Spillane and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga have stepped up huge, but the Patriots have gone with a smaller lineup more often than not; per Pro Football Focus, defensive backs Craig Woodson, Carlton Davis III, Jaylinn Hawkins, Marcus Jones, and Christian Gonzalez make up five of the team’s top seven in total defensive snaps played through 10 games.

The key name in that group is Jones, the Patriots’ nickel corner, who the team loves to keep on the field — even when facing heavier personnel. New England has a faster defense with more playmaking ability when he’s on the field.

With that said, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky doesn’t view the Patriots’ propensity to use nickel personnel as a positive going forward. Just the opposite, actually.

Mike Vrabel might be masking some of the Patriots’ depth issues by deploying a high rate of nickel defense

The nickel package — or an alignment of five defensive backs (three corners, two safeties) and two linebackers — has essentially become the Patriots’ base defense in 2025.

Per ESPN’s NFL Live, New England ranks tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the league’s third-highest nickel rate at 76 percent of snaps; only the Seattle Seahawks (84%) and San Francisco 49ers (77 percent) are using the nickel defense more. 

With Jones on the smaller side, listed at 5-foot-8, 188 pounds, Orlovsky believes the NFL’s top rushing defense could get run over in the AFC playoffs by teams like the Ravens, Chargers, Bills, and Broncos.  

“If New England consistently thinks that they’re going to be allowed to line up and play nickel defense in a win-or-go-home game against some teams in the AFC that can and will play smash-mouth, multiple tight ends, fullback on the field football… then it will be an early exit if they get into the playoffs,” Orlovsky said. “So I’m telling New England right now. The story’s been great. The quarterback’s playing awesome. You can’t play nickel as much as you want and get away with it.”

Vrabel’s deploying his chess pieces this way more out of necessity than anything. While he’s been able to spin the dial and land the right combinations all year, the Patriots have suspect depth along the defensive line, on the edge, and at linebacker. Spillane has been flying around and currently leads the team with 29 run stuffs. The next Patriot on that list? Jones, with 19, according to PFF.

It’s hard to see Vrabel changing course anytime soon. His defense just lost one of its best players, interior lineman Milton Williams, to a high-ankle sprain, and there’s really nothing to fix at this point. The Patriots may be playing more nickel than just about every NFL team, but Jones might be the best slot corner in the game, and New England currently ranks eighth in total defense and fifth in average points allowed.

That’s not to say the Patriots are a “We do what we do,” type of team. Vrabel will adjust as needed, either in-game or on a more macro level; whether he has the personnel to execute that change remains to be seen.

For now, it’s on the rest of the NFL to figure out how to make New England pay for living with five-plus defensive backs on the field this year.