Almost half of the points scored against the Patriots defense has come in garbage time


This Patriots defense may actually be better than many of us think.

According to Rich Hill (editor-in-chief of Pats Pulpit, not the Red Sox pitcher), 47 percent of the points scored against New England this season have come in garbage time.



That stat may be overlooked by the fact that New England has a tendency to give up two or three long drives again, but it's become more and more apparent in the last few weeks that this defense is improving. Last night was arguably their best game of the year, as they held a suddenly hot Miami Dolphins offense to just seven points, and held Lamar Miller to 15 yards on the ground.

The defense has also gotten contributions from a number of different players. Whether it's Chandler Jones sacking an opposing quarterback, Jamie Collins showing off his freak athleticism or Duron Harmon being a ball hawk; you name it, it's happened.

Patriots fans know full well that the team continues to improve as the season progresses, and that seems to be the case here once again. If the defense continues to play like this, good things will be coming.

Follow me on Twitter - @JesseGaunce

For more of my articles, click here.