Defense lays foundation for offensive dominance against Bills

Another Sunday, another strong win by the Patriots. Okay, so it hasn't exactly been business as usual through the first few weeks of the season, but it is certainly beginning to look like it now. Two consecutive wins over two good teams is nothing to complain about. Earlier I had been preparing to write about a battle of two top 5 defenses in a grind-it-out divisional matchup. Then Tom Brady happened - along with a points total of 37 to the Bills' 22. That being said, while the offense delivered with some ruthless efficiency in the second half, it was New England's defense that put Brady and the gang in position to take control of the game.

The Patriots turnover differential continues to be a stellar indicator of not only ball security, but also playmaking spread throughout the defensive unit. A Jamie Collins interception combined with two recovered fumbles (Zach Moore contributed one!) trumped the Bills defense, who despite being equal for top spot with the Patriots in turnover differential, failed to register a single turnover on the day.

Chandler Jones once again looked like a stud, his highlight of the day being a strip-sack, on which he also recovered the fumble. His athleticism is overwhelming for many of those trying to block him, and once he is round the back of a QB, his pursuit of the ball is truly relentless. On the other side of the defensive line, Rob Ninkovich delivered a vintage performance (as he always seems to do in divisional contests). Ninkovich was credited with 3 sacks against his old college teammate Kyle Orton, and provided the punch that may have been otherwise lacking with Hightower and Easley inactive.

All things considered, this victory is going to come at a price on the defensive side of the ball. Il Capitano of the defense Jerod Mayo looks to be out with a serious knee injury sustained on a tackle in the 2nd quarter. He had to be carted off and left the stadium on crutches, so it looks as though the already thin depth at linebacker will be narrowing again. The extent of this injury is yet to be confirmed, but the prognosis with knee injuries is never good, and we could be looking at a season-ender. The promising performance of Deonte Skinner and the hopeful return of Dont'a Hightower to the lineup however will give the Patriots hope.

While the offense will get a lot of credit for this win (and rightly so), the defense continues to be the foundation of this team. At times a fallback, at times (like today) a support mechanism for setting up the offense, this defense looks to be over the blip that was Kansas City and is morphing into a cohesive and convincing unit. With the upcoming addition of Brandon Browner and returning Dominique Easley to the lineup, there will be two players keen to make their mark, and the low-scoring Jets should certainly be concerned as we look forward to Thursday night.

Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

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