cardiak

Just like the title states,

Patriots now lead the NFL with the most defensive takeaways and their offensive leads the NFL with the least give aways

Pretty important stat

Mack Herron

Amazing stats. Maybe a little magic here but I've not seen anything like it.

Fixit

Yeah, but I've been told by a few posters here that forcing turnovers isn't actually part of a good defense. It's all luck, apparently.

RodThePat

Obviously it isn't all luck, but it does indeed have a component of that. I'd rather stop teams by forcing punts, than by forcing turnovers, because when you face good offenses, odds are, you won't take the ball away frequently. Can't complain about the way they've done things the last couple of weeks, though.

CityOfChampions

I hope we can keep it up!

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Uncle Rico

Yeah, the whole turnover thing on both sides of the ball is amazing and I hope it continues. Though like you said, that element of luck is there and it's not reliable. We've seen it the past two years: In 2010 we kept hearing about Brady's amazing no-INT streak, then we saw what happened against the Jets. Last February the turnover luck went the other way against the Giants, who literally could not give the ball away no matter how they tried.

By all means I hope the offense keeps staying clean and the D stays opportunistic. I'm confident this offense can overcome a turnover or two, but how this D would do without benefit of take-aways remains to be seen (maybe).

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Avenger

You won't force a better offense to punt as often either

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RayClay

Well, if you'd rather not instantly turn games around, you might consider rooting for another team (just kidding, to make a point). What team have you been watching the last decade or so?

Are there not good teams in the Playoffs and Super Bowl? Sure, the ball takes funny bounces, but to think it is luck that we have huge advantages in turnover ratio all our best years is to miss the point of Belichick defenses, when they are working as intended.

We lament the couple receptions allowed on a drive then cheer the "lucky" interception that is really the result od a designed play and probably part of a scheme set up throughout the drive. Even the announcer noted the "bait" play Arrington ("I think") set up so Gregory could fly out of nowhere for the easy pick.

Tacklers practice stripping the ball and the offense practices holding on at the same time, every practice, more than anyone else, I'll wager. This is and has been our defense. It is not designed to minimize yards allowed on the stat sheet, it is designed to maximize our scoring opportunities and minimize those of the opposition.

Check out how many turnovers we've forced in successful playoff and Super Bowl games. It directly contradicts what you've stated as fact about "big games" and turnovers.

"Luck is the residue of design", the saying goes and it has never been more true than in Belichicks defenses.

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RayClay

Actual stats are more amazing than you'd think.

Our championship years...

2001...reg +7 playoffs +6

2003...reg +17 playoffs +3

2004...reg +9 playoffs +10

That's not 10 turnovers from the opposition, that's 10 more in a few games.

That's not "luck"

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PatsFanInVa

JEST fan translation:

STATISTICAL PROOF that the Pats just get lucky!