Patriots are breaking records…for terrible defense
New England Patriots are struggling with truly ugly defense.
The New England Patriots became a prestigious organization under the watchful eye and guidance of GM and head coach, Bill Belichick. There are only a few pigskin-related accolades that have eluded them.
But beyond the Super Bowl Rings and glory lies another set of records. These are the records that no one wants to be known for. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they may soon lay claim to them too.
According to ESPN via stats research firm Elias Sports, the Patriots are the first team in NFL history to allow six teams in a row to throw for over 300 yards. Not all of those squads have quarterbacks with elite trigger fingers either.
Before this season, no team had ever allowed 6 straight quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards per @EliasSports research. pic.twitter.com/w6FTxr0HNa
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 22, 2017
For a team whose mission statement is “do your job,” this has to be beyond concerning.
Defensive guru Matt Patricia has to own that record. He also must apply the mental skills acquired when he was an aerospace engineer major to get his secondary right.
To be fair, the injury bug has bitten New England somewhat. Big ticket free agent Stephon Gilmore is out with a concussion/ankle injury. His status forced journeyman cornerback Johnson Bademosi to step up.
Bademosi told ESPN after the Week 6 cliffhanger with the New York Jets that he was tired. He was pushed into a situation where he played both defense and special teams.
“I felt like I played a whole game,” he said. “I love playing football, so I’m going to out there and empty myself … I had fun out there.”
The problem with Bademosi is that he is listed on the Patriots injury report as having an abdomen injury.
This points directly back to the record as the Patriots enter into a revenge game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite their recent woes, the Falcons can still sling the ball all over the field. Atlanta also has a very hungry man named Julio Jones who is still waiting for his first breakout game of 2017.
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The Patriots were porous when they were healthy. Now that they are crippled in the secondary, expect them to continue to lower the bar for aerial defense for at least another week.