 Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich now leads the team with four sacks this season. (USA TODAY Images) |
Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich hasn't had much success getting to the quarterback this season, but Sunday's outing in Buffalo helped him get back on track after a big day against the Bills.
The veteran linebacker was in Buffalo's backfield quite a bit during the Patriots' 37-22 win, sacking quarterback Kyle Orton three times including four hits. He also finished the afternoon with four tackles for a loss.
The best part about each one of those sacks was the fact that they came on third down, the last of which came on Buffalo's final drive at the end of the game on a 3rd-and-3 as they were nearing midfield. It was his first three-sack game of his career.
Ninkovich told the Boston Herald after the game the fact that Orton wasn't a running quarterback gave him a little more of a chance to focus on getting after him.
"Orton in the pocket is different than somebody that's a scrambler," Ninkovich said. "With a guy that's going to be more stationary, you have more of an opportunity to work the edges more, work counters more, and you know that he's not really going to go anywhere.
"We did a good job executing and understanding that if we got him off the spot and got some pressure on him that he was going to try and get rid of the ball quickly. He was obviously trying to get the ball downfield, so coverage did a good job and I was able to get to him a few times."
Following his performance, Ninkovich now has four sacks on the season, giving him the team lead over fellow defensive end Chandler Jones, who has 3.5 on the year including one Sunday in which he forced a forced a fumble and recovered it.
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