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Factoid

January 27, 2017

Patriots Defense

How good is the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense, really?

You can't control who you play, so it's not fair to dock a team for their schedule. But I'm hearing the Falcons be dismissed in Super Bowl LI because of "Bill Belihick having two weeks to prepare" and so forth, and I'm not buying. There's nothing special about New England's defense, and it definitely hasn't faced an offense anything close to Atlanta's.

Seriously: anything close.

The Falcons finished the season with the NFL's 2nd-ranked offense (in yards; No. 1 in points). New England played 16 regular-season games facing only three top-12 offenses; it played three times as many games (9), more than half its schedule, against bottom-10 groups (offenses ranked 24th or worse). Two of the three top-12 offenses (Arizona and Seattle) each scored 3 TDs and averaged 26 points. The third, Pittsburgh, didn't have Ben Roethlisberger.

In the playoffs, the Patriots faced one of those bottom-10 offenses again (Houston) and then handled Pittsburgh pretty easily. But Roethlisberger's road problems are well-documented, plus the Steelers lost LeVeon Bell early on (and had some bad drops).

Perhaps I'm not giving enough credit to New England's defense. We'll see. Bottom line, though, here's what they faced all season long. Nothing close to Atlanta in this group.

PATRIOTS OPPONENTS, 2016
TeamOff Rk
at Ariz9th
Mia24th
Hou29th
Buf16th
at Cle30th
Cin14th
at Pitt7th
at Buf16th
Sea12th
at SF31st
at NYJ26th
LA32nd
Balt17th
at Den27th
NYJ26th
at Mia24th

--Andy Richardson

New England Patriots

8 Reader Comments:

ROBERT JOHNSON

Pearland, TX
2017-01-27T16:32:56Z
Until this year, Atlanta's offense was too dependent on Julio. The RBs and the additions to the OL and receiving corps have made them very dangerous. NE will probably be able to slow them down, especially if Julio is not 100%. The larger question is how much Ryan will regress next year without Kyle Shanahan.

BEN HOGEVOLL

Siletz, OR
2017-01-27T16:46:03Z
I think NE has one of if not the best def.NE has held teams to 15.6 points per game.This takes us to what happens when the #1 offense meets the #1 def in the superbowl?This year will be the 6th time that has happened.Atl has averaged 33.8 points per game.I think this year will be only the 2nd time the best offense beats the best def.Its only happened once .1989 SF vs DEN.

Kelly Cloud

Poteau, OK
2017-01-27T17:44:06Z
Nothing to say here about whether they will stop them or not, just want to comment on the topic. When you watch Atlanta, Sunday for example, make their in game adjustments, for example double Julio, they'll go to Sanu, or drop back your safeties, they'll check down, a blind man could see how good Kyle Shanahan is and the options they have. Receivers, O-line, running backs, offensive coordinator, they are great all over. How could an extra week of preparing your player's for Atlanta's options ever not be a big deal? Or even figuring out how. If there is a way to stop Atlanta, like the Greatest Show on Turf, that extra week does matter a ton.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Port Chester, NY
2017-01-27T18:02:28Z
Bill Belichick (then with the Giants) was the coordinator who helped New York overcome Jim Kelly and the Bills' then-dominant offense way back in 1991, and I think they did it with only a week break between the championship game and the Super Bowl. To me a difference between those Giants and that Patriots defense that shut down the Rams is that back then those high-flying offenses were the heavy favorites and just maybe (probably) they came into the game overconfident. Almost no one believed the Patriots, ridiculously fortunate even to get by the Raiders that year, would shut down the Rams. I don't think there's much chance of the Falcons being overconfident in this game (nor should they be, obviously). I am not sure this particular Patriots defense, personnel-wise, is as good as previous Super Bowl teams. If they can't get a serious pass rush on Ryan they're going to give up some yards and points. Unfortunately the Falcons (unlike the Giants teams that beat New England) do not have a great defense. Certainly possible New England controls the clock and scores a lot of points early on, leaving the Falcons to play catch up throughout the game. I think it will be a 34-28 type of game (but I've still got a week to revise that pick).

BEN HOGEVOLL

Siletz, OR
2017-01-27T18:34:05Z
34-28 NE or ATL? I think ATL has to many really good offensive players to not keep up with NE.Two running backs Freeman and Coleman will be key! 38-34 ATL and I am sticking with it!

TODD HACHMANN

West Des Moines, IA
2017-01-28T15:48:10Z
Atlanta doesn't have a great defense but they do have some play-makers and speed at certain positions. It's a total chess match and depends if you have blind faith that Belichick is still the grand master of chess. Quinn seems to be a pretty cerebral guy who could challenge the grand master.

BEN HOGEVOLL

Siletz, OR
2017-01-28T16:27:35Z
This subject is WAY more interesting than talking about Minn for sure.Watching Atl dismattle GB the way they did,I think they will win the chess match.

BEN HOGEVOLL

Siletz, OR
2017-01-28T16:32:26Z
Seattle beat them
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