The saying goes that defense wins championships. Assuming the Patriots offense and special teams units don't cough up the ball allowing the Falcons to get some easy scores, the Patriots defense will hold that statement true.
Watching the Patriots play, I sometimes get frustrated when they give up 19 yards on 3rd and 18. Luckily, that's about all they have done this year which gets me bent out of shape.
TOP TEN DEFENSE- As a team they rank #1 in three important categories: Points scored (15.6 points per game), rushing big plays (32) and opponent scoring efficiency (28.3%). When it comes to passing big plays, the Patriots' defense drops off a bit, yet remains in the top ten with 27 big plays given up.
TOP TEN DEFENSE- As a team they rank #1 in three important categories: Points scored (15.6 points per game), rushing big plays (32) and opponent scoring efficiency (28.3%). When it comes to passing big plays, the Patriots' defense drops off a bit, yet remains in the top ten with 27 big plays given up.
CLOSER LOOK AT THE BIG PLAYS- Taking a closer look at the big plays the Patriots have given up, I noticed that they really weren't "big plays". Very few of the big plays the Patriots gave up were scoring plays. The biggest scoring play the defense gave up this season was a 66 yard touchdown reception by Kenny Britt. Looking at the 42 receptions which were 20 yards or longer: only 5 were 40 yards or more, and only 3 went for touchdowns. To put that into perspective, Julio Jones has touchdowns of 75 and 73 yards this season.
Looking at the biggest runs given up by the Patriots this season, here are some pretty amazing observations. In total they have only given up 3 rushes which were greater than 20 yards. Two of those were against the Bills heading into the bye week, while the other was opening night against the Cardinals. Quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill and Colin Kaepernick both had their teams only rushes for double digits. In the 10 games since the by week, the Patriots have only given up 8 runs which were ten yards or more.
If you think the Patriots are suddenly going to get torched by Matt Ryan with a big play today, I think you are completely mistaken.
Looking at the biggest runs given up by the Patriots this season, here are some pretty amazing observations. In total they have only given up 3 rushes which were greater than 20 yards. Two of those were against the Bills heading into the bye week, while the other was opening night against the Cardinals. Quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill and Colin Kaepernick both had their teams only rushes for double digits. In the 10 games since the by week, the Patriots have only given up 8 runs which were ten yards or more.
If you think the Patriots are suddenly going to get torched by Matt Ryan with a big play today, I think you are completely mistaken.
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