Nearly two months ago, Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo declared that the Patriots defense would be much different – and he inferred much better -- come November as he tried to explain away some early season failures.
Whelp, guess the former All-Pro linebacker-turned-coach Mayo knew what he was talking about.
Not only has New England’s defense seemingly rounded into midseason form, the unit has improved to the point that it’s the key factor in the Patriots’ three-game winning streak that has Bill Belichick’s squad at 5-4 and very much in the AFC playoff picture.
The latest impressive effort came in Sunday’s 24-6 victory over an overmatched Sam Darnold and the Panthers in Carolina.
Darnold may or may not have been seeing “ghosts” the way he did back in his Jets days against New England, but he wasn’t seeing any real success, either. He was pressured much of the afternoon and threw a trio of interceptions, including one that J.C. Jackson returned 88 yards for a touchdown.
Darnold finished with a 26.3 passer rating while the Panthers mustered just 78 yards and a 3.4-yard average on the ground, even with dynamic weapon Christian McCaffrey back in action for a group that rushed for 200 yards a week earlier
Carolina converted just three of 11 third downs and had eight of 11 possessions end in either a turnover, a punt or a turnover on downs.
Bill Belichick called it a “great” complementary performance from his defense in terms of stopping the run, the pass rush and the playmaking coverage in the back end. It certainly was, making a bad quarterback leading bad offense look bad just the way a good defense is supposed to.
Sure, Mac Jones is a great story. Finding a franchise quarterback is the most important thing that can come from this 2021 season.
And that goal has already seemingly been achieved.
But in terms of the here and now, as it relates to competing for the AFC East, a playoff spot and a return to postseason action after last year’s Cam Newton-led disappointing hiatus, it’s New England’s DEFENSE that is becoming THE story in Patriot Nation.
“The defense played lights out,” Jones acknowledged after another lackluster performance, one that included a lost fumble on a strip sack and a bad throw/decision on an interception for former teammate Stephon Gilmore over the middle. “It was a great team win. The defense played exceptional.”
And as Mayo predicted long ago, it’s been trending in that direction. There was that competitive if losing effort against the high-powered Bucs. Taking care of business against the Jets. And now back-to-back weeks on the road to victory, wins that included defensive scores and turnovers galore!
“I make plays,” Jackson declared of his touchdown, one of his two interceptions in the game and team-high five on the season. “That’s what I do,”
That’s the kind of confidence that’s seemingly been brewing in recent weeks for the unit. It’s bred in the playmaking coverage from Jackson, last week’s AFC Defensive Player of the Week Adrian Phillips and others in the new-look, make-shift back end.
It’s come with the instant, season-long impact of big-money free agent addition Matt Judon who notched his ninth sack of the year against Darnold.
It’s fueled by the development of second-round rookie Christian Barmore, who knocked down two of Darnold’s passes and was part of a front that stuffed the McCaffrey-led run as he’s developed into a key playmaker on the defensive line.
“Real good day,” Barmore said. “We’re just going to keep getting better every day. We came in with the mentality, we came in to dominate.
You know what I’m saying? The edge, the d-line, the DBs, we all came to play.
So we all came in locked in.”
One of Barmore’s batted passes prevented what looked like a would-be touchdown throw to McCaffrey and made sure that Carolina was only able to turn New England’s two turnovers into a pair of field goals.
“If you want to score on us, you have to come with the pressure,” Barmore said. “You are going to have a hard time. We’re not going to give you the 6 easy. We will come with the whole defense and show y’all what’s up. You know what I’m saying?”
We do. And we also know how the New England defense is now playing.
Remember when the Patriots defense couldn’t figure out how many players to have on the field? When the unit couldn’t get the stop it need at key times, even against bad teams with bad QBs? When turnovers weren’t coming in bunches? When there were more questions than answers?
That was September and early October.
Now, it’s about confident talk, more confident play and not only holding opponents in check but making game-changing plays.
The Patriots defense is now the backbone of the team’s three-game winning streak and growing playoff chances. It’s a group of returning veterans, free-agent newcomers and young contributors. They bring energy, personality and a new, winning edge to the team.
“I love it, it’s easier to show it whenever you are winning,” Dont’a Hightower said of the unique personalities on the New England defense that might be a little more vocal and energetic than those of some past Patriots units. “This is a great group of guys. Obviously with the work ethic that we have, a lot of people know it’s more of always work whenever you come into the building. Whenever you have guys like that in the locker room it makes playing for each other easier, it makes the locker room culture a lot better.”
And it seems to make the results on the field come together. With apologies to Jones, his running game and the work-in-progress offense, the D is back in business in New England.
“It’s that time of the season, we’re coming together,” Jackson told NFL Network on the field after the win. “If we keep it up we have a hell of a football team.”
With a hell of a defense that’s coming together just like they expected they would.
“Doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish,” Jamie Collins said.
Thanks to MacFarlane Energy, your Mitsubishi Diamond Elite contractor, where they can very affordably heat your three season room with a Mitsubishi ductless hyper heat unit. Please visit MacFarlaneEnergy.com.
