5 reasons the Patriots will still go to Super Bowl 51 without Rob Gronkowski
By Adam Cox
2. Defense
The Patriots defense is not flashy. It’s probably difficult for many to name more than two or three of their starters. Dont’a Hightower is a starting linebacker. Malcolm Butler is a starting cornerback. Rob Ninkovich is another starting linebacker. Chandler Jones? No, he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason. Jamie Collins? No, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns during the season.
Is Troy Brown still moonlighting as a nickel cornerback? He retired almost 10 years ago? Oh.
New England’s defense is currently ranked 14th in the NFL. That’s in total yards. They’re tied for 21st in sacks. They’re tied for 28th in interceptions. The Patriots are fourth in the NFL in forced fumbles, but only 15th in recovery of these fumbles. The peripherals are not very kind to the Patriots’ defense.
Luckily, this doesn’t necessarily mean very much. Yes, the Patriots give up yards on defense. Yes, they do not turn the ball over. What the Patriots do well, however, is prevent their opponents from scoring.
The Patriots are third in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing only 17.9 points per game. This is because the Patriots have one of the best red zone defenses in the NFL. They allow their opponents to make it to the red zone, but they don’t give up touchdowns. This spells success. Most importantly, this spells playoff success.
The ability to score combined with the ability to prevent other teams from scoring means the Patriots have the second highest average scoring margin in the NFL.