Patriots 'Very Good' Defense Being Overlooked?

The New England Patriots featured one of the NFL’s best defenses last season, but will the unit push them to playoffs this year?

It seems rare these days that anyone gets excited about an elite defense. In today's NFL, where high-scoring games with elite quarterback and receiver play, it is easy to forget that "defense wins championships."

For the New England Patriots, defense is on the back burner, at least in the minds of the media and fans. Nobody is talking about what coach Bill Belichick is cooking up defensively this offseason despite them looking set to have another unit that is near the top of the league. Instead, the focus is on the offense after a disastrous 2022 season presided over by experimental coordinators Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. 

Can the offense bounce back? What will Bill O'Brien's offense look like? Is Mac Jones still the quarterback he was in his rookie season? All of those are valid questions, and certainly, one's fans are desperately waiting to have answered. Yet, the Patriots' defense is flying under the radar. 

With the Patriots off until late July on "summer break," where they'll officially begin training camp, Sports Illustrated recently emptied its notebook on what they "learned" from all 32 teams this offseason. For the Patriots, it was pretty straightforward. New England will once again have a "very good" defense.

"The Patriots have plenty of uncertainty on the offensive side with quarterback Mac Jones, but they’re loaded with defensive playmakers, especially in the secondary with Kyle Dugger, Jonathan Jones, Jabrill Peppers and rookie Christian Gonzalez," Sports Illustrated writes. "Matthew Judon and Josh Uche also give New England a ferocious pass-rushing tandem. But having a stacked defense might not matter if Jones can’t ignite the offense."

Indeed, a good defense is wasted on an offense that can't consistently move the ball down the field and put points on the board. Last season, the Patriots defense was near the top of the league in rushing yards allowed per game, giving up 105.5 yards (ranking No. 6), with a top-15 secondary in terms of passing yards allowed per game, and an elite pass rush which fourth in total sacks. 

Yet, even with one of the best defensive units, the Patriots fell short of making the playoffs as the offense ranked 28th in first downs and 17th in points per game. 

Can the Patriots manage to have at least an average offensive unit that ranks near the top 10 in points per game? That is what they are hoping O'Brien can turn their offense back into. 

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