After the Patriots' 25-0 win over the Falcons Thursday night, they have now held their opponents to single-digit points in three straight games for the first time since 2005.
That, combined with a five-game winning streak, J.C. Jackson couldn't help himself.
“I don’t want to brag too much, but I feel like we’ve got one of the best defenses in the league right now,” he told reporters. “… We’ve got a good pass rush. We’ve got some guys up front who are doing pretty good this season. The secondary has always been pretty good, and we’re starting to build that chemistry defensively.”
New England had four interceptions against the Falcons, including a Kyle Van Noy pick-6.
“I feel like we played great defensively,” Jackson said. “We didn’t give up no touchdowns, no points allowed. It don’t get no better than that. … The defense played outstanding. I can’t even describe. But we’ve got to keep it up. It’s going to get scary. It’s going to be scary.”
Over the five-game win streak, the Patriots defense has forced 13 turnovers and have 18 interceptions overall this season, which leads the NFL. In addition, the Patriots have outscored their opponents 70-0 over the last 116 minutes of game-time and haven't allowed points in 19 straight drives.
So, what's been the key to the defense turning things around?
“We’re catching our stride," edge rusher Matthew Judon said. "We had a lot of new pieces, pieces coming back and now we’re just in a rhythm. I think we’re all just playing with a lot of confidence. We can communicate. We know where each other is going to be on the field and we know how each other plays now. We didn’t want to get off to a bad start, but right now we’re in a groove and we’re going to continue to prepare, work like our back is against the wall because you don’t ever want to give your opponent the upper hand just by not preparing for anybody.”
The Patriots will get the weekend off before their big game against the Titans in Week 12.
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