Patriots Defense Proving it Can Carry Team Against Strong Opponents Will Be Huge for Playoff Run
By Scott Rogust
The prevailing belief for the past decade has been that the New England Patriots will always be contenders as long as Tom Brady is quarterbacking. In 2019, with his play obviously declining, Brady has taken a backseat, and the defense has filled the entirety of the resulting talent gap.
After an off week in Baltimore and a bye, Pats Nation finally got a glimpse of what that defense can look like on the road against a playoff contender. Not bad.
After facing an early 10-0 deficit, the Patriots went on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 17-10 on Sunday. More importantly, New England proved they can make a deep playoff run if their defense continues to hold off and choke out strong offenses.
Back in the win column. pic.twitter.com/tFRP2Zeqvr
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 18, 2019
The first half was a disastrous one for the Patriots' defensive corps. On a single drive, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz orchestrated a 16-play, 95-yard masterpiece, ending in a Dallas Goedert touchdown and 10-0 lead.
Being the great coach that he is, Bill Belichick took notes on what he saw from the Eagles offense in the first half, and created proper adjustments in the second. After that, Wentz and Philadelphia couldn't get anything going, pending a few final-drive miracles.
Three errant throws, one almost-heroic throw under pressure.
— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) November 18, 2019
When Carson Wentz is ready to be precise on routine throws and reads, he won’t need hope on 4th down. Consistency, not talent, separates good from great.
Everything was eliminated.
The Patriots defense smothered the Eagles, recording five sacks, five tackles for loss, eight passes defensed, and one forced fumble on Sunday. More importantly, New England didn't allow an Eagles score for the remainder of the game.
This came on a day where the Patriots red zone offense was ineffective, and Brady completed just 55% of his passes against a stereotypically poor pass defense. Who needs Brady when the defense can do all the heavy lifting?
Hats off to Patriots defense. After the 95-yard TD, the Eagles went:
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) November 18, 2019
Punt
Fumble
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Downs
End of game
New England showed that even if the 42-year-old Brady has an off day, their defense can step up and put a stop to strong offenses like Philadelphia's. If that continues, they will be making a return trip to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots can further prove that point next week with a good showing against the Dallas Cowboys and their high-powered offense in Foxborough.