Wait, who's got the scariest D-line in the AFCE?

[Fixit]

Remember all of that talk about the Pats having the fourth-best line in the division? The "bullies" in Buffalo? The "can't double-team everybody!" talk in NY? A man named Suh?

Sacks:
Buffalo - 11
NYJ - 11
Miami - 13
NE - 26

 

[Angelpats]

... But they are not a top ten defense and the secondary sucks and need to trade for overpriced cbs. I hope people have more faith in our defense. As they improve we should support them more as well. Great game and we didn't have sheard, or #2 CB is on ir, mayo not full strength yet, a few guys still dinged but still playing but I'm not making excuses even though we won this game so don't make excuses for why the Dolphins lost.

 

[Double TE]

Definitely the Pats and we didn't have Sheard the last 2 games. Also best running backs = Pats. I D take Lewis over McCoy all day. And the duo over Ivory/Ridley and Miller/Gray.

Best TE and receivers are either #1 or 2nd behind NYJ.

 

[fair catch fryar]

Definitely the Pats and we didn't have Sheard the last 2 games. Also best running backs = Pats. I D take Lewis over McCoy all day. And the duo over Ivory/Ridley and Miller/Gray.

Best TE and receivers are either #1 or 2nd behind NYJ.

Jets have a good receiver corps, but no way are they better than the Pats from top to bottom. Just having Gronk puts them over the top.

 

[goheels22002]

Patriots are #2 in takeaway/giveaway ratio at +7.

2015 NFL Team Givetake Stats - National Football League - ESPN

 

[Patriot Missile]

Patriots are #2 in takeaway/giveaway ratio at +7.

2015 NFL Team Givetake Stats - National Football League - ESPN

When your Qb has only thrown 1 pick through 7 games you'd kind of expect that.

 

[manxman2601]

Remember all of that talk about the Pats having the fourth-best line in the division? The "bullies" in Buffalo? The "can't double-team everybody!" talk in NY? A man named Suh?

Sacks:
Buffalo - 11
NYJ - 11
Miami - 13
NE - 26

This might be my favourite stat. Would love to se the same for pressures.

 

[Tony2046]

Patriots are #2 in takeaway/giveaway ratio at +7.

2015 NFL Team Givetake Stats - National Football League - ESPN

This stat has added value when the scoring offense is ranked 1 or 2 in the NFL.

Give the Pats extra drives via a turnover and chances are they will outscore you.

 

[SalemPats]

Another great game by Easley as well who might not have made the highlights like Chandler did last night.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

happy with the d-line, another corner couldn't hurt.

 

[rookBoston]

The real difference between our Defensive Front and the "famous" "epic" fronts @Mia, @BUF is the amount of money we're paying our guys. The money correlates with the media coverage, because who wants to write a story about the no name but really effective guy making $600k, when you can talk about the guy who signed for tens of millions.

The Suh's $60mm contract is embarrassing, just on its own. Suh's cap number is only $6mm this year, due to some structural cleverness. But it goes to $28mm next year, and will be an albatross for that team until 2021.

The cap space the Bills have tied up with Dareus ($7.8mm), Williams ($19.4mm), Williams ($7.0mm) and Hughes ($6.1mm) is ridiculous.... that's $40mm for four players, about a quarter of their entire cap budget. Of course, the media HAS to talk about how dominating those guys are going to be, whether they actually are or not. Getting PAID.

By comparison, the Pats have committed $17mm in 2015 cap space to their top 8 defensive linemen, including all of Ninkovich, Sheard, Jones, Branch, Easley, Brown, Siliga, Hicks. That $17mm is paying off very nicely for GM Belichick, and playing great football for Coach Belichick. But with so many small money players on our DL, the media is going to spend it's airtime talking about players not named Alan Branch and Sealver Siliga.

 

[ZoisKing]

This might be my favourite stat. Would love to se the same for pressures.

I'm a fan as well. Also, would like to see TFL numbers to see where the team ranks. For whatever reason, that stat doesn't get much love.

 

[Airkuhl]

I'm not sure how this defense ranks nor do I care all that much, but so far it's safe to say that statistically the overall defense is better than last year.

What's amazing is that Belichick at some point decided that the best way to improve the defense was to let go Revis, Browner and Wilfork.

Talk about playing chess while everyone else plays checkers...

 

[Baboon]

Edit: We have one game up on Denver, but currently, we are tied with Denver for #1 in the NFL in sacks: 2015 NFL Team Defense Stats - National Football League - ESPN

Thank you, FourierSeries, for pointing out my error

 

[FourierSeries]

Tied with Denver for #1 in the NFL in sacks: 2015 NFL Team Defense Stats - National Football League - ESPN

If you use yards lost on sack as the tie breaker, it goes to the Pats: 184 to 168. 2015 NFL Team Defense Stats - National Football League - ESPN

To be fair though, we played 1 more game than them.

Still, our pass rush has been exceptional.

 

[Baboon]

To be fair though, we played 1 more game than them.

Still, our pass rush has been exceptional.

Oh yea, whoops

 

[PlainOldEd]

When your Qb has only thrown 1 pick through 7 games you'd kind of expect that.

You could almost say Jules threw that one......

 

[Fencer]

You could almost say Jules threw that one......

In Australian Rules Football they call that a "hand pass".

Anyhow, any discussion of investment in the group or lack of same should perhaps consider the huge number of high picks still playing on rookie deals.

 

[meatface]

Those formidable fronts in NJ, Buf and Mia have certainly been disappointing.

 

[meatface]

This might be my favourite stat. Would love to se the same for pressures.

I think my favorite is that Chandler Jones has 8.5 sacks and Atlanta has 8