Patriots defense has answers early and often for Lions offense
The Patriots defense played one of its best games of the season today, as it was one of the main reasons New England was able to handily beat the Detroit Lions 34-9.
They held a very good Detroit offense to 335 yards of 73 plays, held quarterback Matthew Stafford to 264 yards passing on 48 attempts and once again, kept the opponents run game in check. Joique Bell only managed 48 yards on 18 carries. Granted, Stafford flat out missed a lot of throws and there were more than a few balls the Lions receivers should have caught.
The defense was able to generate pressure on Stafford for much of the day, and even compiled two sacks and an interception along the way.
One of the biggest things that stood out today, to me, was New England's ability to get off the field on third down. Over the years and even at points this season, one of the things that gave the Patriots so much trouble was getting off the field on third down.
Today, they only allowed the Lions to convert five third down plays on 17 attempts.
What makes this effort by the defense even better, is that it was able to, for the most part, keep Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate quiet. Johnson finished the day with 58 yards on four catches and was mostly guarded by Brandon Browner.
Meanwhile, Tate got off to a fast start by compiling almost 100 total yards in the first quarter alone, but after the short-lived outburst, Darrelle Revis was able to shut him down.
During this seven-game winning streak, The Patriots have held opponents to an average of 19 points. If that trend continues, they would put themselves in the top 10 in terms of points allowed per game. As of now, they sit at 13th in that category, giving up 21.3 points per game. That number figures to go down a bit by tomorrow.
Additionally, in the last two games combined, the unit has held opposing running backs to under 100 yards rushing, which should increase their run defense rankings. The Patriots are 14th in the NFL right now against the run, and despite these recent efforts coming against less-than-stellar running backs, they have looked absolutely dominant. That should only help when Sealver Siliga gets back to game action, which figures to be soon.
All in all, a dominant showing, especially considering they are still without Chandler Jones and have lost Jerod Mayo for the season.
The Patriots have seemingly prevented many solid offenses from getting in rhythm this season. They've done it to Cincinnati, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis and now Detroit. But they have no time to get comfortable, as they get Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers next.
Follow me on Twitter - @JesseGaunce
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They held a very good Detroit offense to 335 yards of 73 plays, held quarterback Matthew Stafford to 264 yards passing on 48 attempts and once again, kept the opponents run game in check. Joique Bell only managed 48 yards on 18 carries. Granted, Stafford flat out missed a lot of throws and there were more than a few balls the Lions receivers should have caught.
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| Stephan Savoia/Associated Press |
One of the biggest things that stood out today, to me, was New England's ability to get off the field on third down. Over the years and even at points this season, one of the things that gave the Patriots so much trouble was getting off the field on third down.
Today, they only allowed the Lions to convert five third down plays on 17 attempts.
What makes this effort by the defense even better, is that it was able to, for the most part, keep Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate quiet. Johnson finished the day with 58 yards on four catches and was mostly guarded by Brandon Browner.
Meanwhile, Tate got off to a fast start by compiling almost 100 total yards in the first quarter alone, but after the short-lived outburst, Darrelle Revis was able to shut him down.
During this seven-game winning streak, The Patriots have held opponents to an average of 19 points. If that trend continues, they would put themselves in the top 10 in terms of points allowed per game. As of now, they sit at 13th in that category, giving up 21.3 points per game. That number figures to go down a bit by tomorrow.
Additionally, in the last two games combined, the unit has held opposing running backs to under 100 yards rushing, which should increase their run defense rankings. The Patriots are 14th in the NFL right now against the run, and despite these recent efforts coming against less-than-stellar running backs, they have looked absolutely dominant. That should only help when Sealver Siliga gets back to game action, which figures to be soon.
All in all, a dominant showing, especially considering they are still without Chandler Jones and have lost Jerod Mayo for the season.
The Patriots have seemingly prevented many solid offenses from getting in rhythm this season. They've done it to Cincinnati, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis and now Detroit. But they have no time to get comfortable, as they get Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers next.
Follow me on Twitter - @JesseGaunce
For more of my articles, click here.
