Will the Patriots continue to lean on their defense?
With the Patriots offense not meshing as well as they would have hoped, it has been the defense that has been a pleasant surprise. Throughout the first couple games of the season, the defense has come through in the clutch and has arguably out-performed the Tom Brady led offense. Granted Brady doesn't have much talent around him, but that is still saying a lot since the defense has been the weakness of this team for years.
This year seems different so far though. In the first game against the Buffalo Bills, rookie quarterback EJ Manuel was having his way with the Pats D until it was crunch time, when the defense dug their heels in and secured the W. In this past week's ugly win against the New York Jets, you can tell it was a defensive battle strictly by the score, 13-10. Brady and the new WR's lack of chemistry continued, whereas the defense seemed to have the Jets' number since the first play.
So, will the team continue to rely on their defense to keep stepping up? Is that really a wise decision? My reaction to these questions is this; maybe it's time. Remember, when the Patriots won their three Super Bowls they had a great bend-but-don't-break defense that kept it close before Brady and the offense would put the game out of reach. Since those years, it's been Brady bailing the team out over and over again. It feels like ever since Bruschi and Rodney Harrison have retired, our excuse for the defense's faults has been "well they are a young group, they will be better in a few years".
Maybe the time finally come and the D is ready to be a respectable group that opposing offensive coordinators hate to play against. Newly appointed defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is already highly respected among the league, even voted as one of the best young-and-upcoming assistant coaches. Though the offense is struggling, we can only imagine that Brady will turn things around and the offense will make strides. If they can do so while the defense continues to play well, the sky is the limit for this team.
Anthony Aidonidis
@aidonidis18
#BendButDontBreak
