Can Patriots Withstand Blitz Barrage From Cardinals' Vance Joseph?

Despite their overall struggles, Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has his team ranked among the most blitz-heavy in the NFL.

FOXBORO — Some would argue that the best defense is more offense.

However, the 2022 New England Patriots have gone the opposite route by incorporating copious amounts of defensive strategy into their offensive game-planning.

It is almost as if a defensive-minded coach is calling the plays on offense … a point well-noted by Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

As the Cardinals prepare to host the Patriots on Monday night, Joseph has observed New England’s offensive style to be both conservative and preventive under current play caller (and ex-defensive coordinator) Matt Patricia.

"I see an offense that's running the football well. It's a very conservative pass game -- lot of screens, all kinds of screens,” Joseph told reporters on Thursday. “It's how a defensive guy would call offensive plays -- not turn the ball over, get 4 yards a play, and try to burn the clock.”

Though his revelation may seem direct, Joseph is essentially correct in his assessment. In addition to Patricia’s precautionary play-calling, quarterback Mac Jones has had inadequate protection from the team’s offensive line. As a result, the second-year signal caller has been given insufficient time to operate. More often than not, Jones has had little-to-no choice but to take short-yardage check downs, especially with the Pats opponents’ perimeter corners taking away his preferred routes and targets.

While Patricia’s blueprint has been effective in avoiding turnovers, it has failed to achieve the ultimate objective of putting points on the board.

"That's what they're doing and that's what he's going to do on Monday night. He's going to be patient. Maybe take a shot from time to time. But for the most part, it's ‘run game,’ it's ‘quick game,’ and it's screens."

For the majority of the season, the second-year quarterback has struggled to maintain his presence in the pocket, often finding himself under duress. Teams having the most success against Jones have been those who have deployed strategically placed blitzes from the second and third level of the defense. The pressure has typically confused the 24-year-old, causing him to open the top of his drop in the wrong direction, leading to confusion and suspect decision-making. In the Pats’ Week 13 matchup with the Buffalo Bills, the opponent pressured Jones on 39.5 percent of his dropbacks, leaving him with an average of 3.15 seconds to attempt a pass. Unsurprisingly, the Pats lost the game 24-10. 

Therefore, the formula for Arizona to neutralize New England’s offense seems to be clear: keep Mac Jones under pressure, and let the rest fall into place.

At first glance, however, it would appear that the Cardinals may have difficulty doing so. Arizona’s defense is among the lowest-ranked teams in the NFL in several key metrics; including 31st in scoring defense, 28th on third down, and 32nd in the red zone.

However, they also utilize the blitz as much as any team in the NFL. Arizona is entering Monday’s game with the league’s third-highest blitz rate. Conversely, Jones has the fifth-lowest completion rate against pressure at 43.8 percent. When facing a blitz-heavy defensive scheme, he has only one touchdown to five interceptions.

With little mystery regarding what he will be facing in Week 14, Jones is preparing himself to take what he can get against the Cardinals’ aggressive defensive front.

"I think [defensive coordinator] Vance [Joseph] obviously does a great job, he's always been that type of coach he's going to keep you guessing and put you on your heels,” Jones told New England’s media contingent on Thursday. 

"Every week's different, some teams don't blitz at all, [but] this team is top of the league in blitzing … It's something they do really well and they keep you guessing. You just gotta go through your reads and take it, whatever they give you you take it. They give you the deep, you take it, they give you short, take it. No different than any other week. They do ‘spin the dial’ a lot and keep you guessing. They've done it really well this year."

Still. Jones is cognizant that it will take a team effort and some of their own aggression to unleash the full potential of their offense … and in the same vein, neutralize Joseph’s game plan. 

“We’re doing everything we can,” Jones said with a purpose. “[We’re] talking through different looks, different ideas and obviously continuing to grow on what we’ve done well. We play for one another and when we do that and everyone does their job … we can do what we want to do [on offense] and we can score points. It’s all about producing good plays.”

The Pats and Cardinals are scheduled for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff from State Farm Stadium in Glendale. 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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