Pats D still Number 2 in AFC points against

[Flash]

Look at the QBs we've played:

Week 1: Carson Palmer (11 TDs, 8 INTs @ 62.5% completion on the season)
Week 2: Ryan Tannehill (lmao)
Week 3: Brock Osweiler (LOL)
Week 4: Tyrod Taylor (meh)
Week 5: Cody Kessler (rookie)
Week 6: Andy Dalton (Only good QB we've faced and won)
Week 7: Landry Jones (lmao)
Week 8: Tyrod Taylor (meh)
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Russell Wilson (dropped 31 on us despite having one of the worst O-lines in the NFL)

That says it all. We've faced two good QBs this entire year. PPG allowed without even considering the context of the opponents we've played means nothing. What happens when we face good QBs again in the Playoffs? Big Ben or Derek Carr will shred this "good defense" into pieces. If Flacco catches fire again then we don't even need to talk about him. Hell, I don't have any confidence in this defense at stopping Alex Smith. People are seriously overrating how good our defense has been this season and some serious improvements are needed if we want to go for another Super Bowl run. We can't just rely on offense forever.

 

[TbSB5]

I don't even care what their regular season stats are, Belichick defenses have routinely gotten trounced in the playoffs, often by crappy QBs. Going back to 2010:

Sanchez - 3 TD/0 INT, 127.3 rating
Tebow - 0/0, 52.7
Flacco - 2/1, 95.4
Manning - 1/0, 103.7
Schaub - 2/1, 90.6
Flacco - 3/0, 106.2
Luck - 2/4, 53.0
Manning - 2/0, 118.4
Flacco - 4/2, 92.1
Luck - 0/2, 23.0
Wilson - 2/1, 110.6
Smith - 1/0, 77.6
Manning - 2/0, 90.1

24 TD's to 11 INT's (take Andrew Suck out and it's 22/5). Nine of thirteen finish with 90+ rating, five over 100. Even noodle arm 2015 Manning got over 90. Seven didn't throw a pick.

These aren't exactly a murderer's row of QBs, either. When Brady has a bad postseason game, we always hear that it's because the defenses are better.

Not in the Patriots case. Most of these turds play better than normal against NE.

2013 Peyton was crappy?

 

[Ring 6]

I remember an endless lecture from a grade school teacher about how important it was that everyone completed all the assigmments because just one zero would really bring down your average.

That comes to mind in this discussion for some reason...

So the Bad game counts but the good one doesn't?
I am taking about 6 straight games of 17 or less.

 

[TbSB5]

Look at the QBs we've played:

Week 1: Carson Palmer (11 TDs, 8 INTs @ 62.5% completion on the season)
Week 2: Ryan Tannehill (lmao)
Week 3: Brock Osweiler (LOL)
Week 4: Tyrod Taylor (meh)
Week 5: Cody Kessler (rookie)
Week 6: Andy Dalton (Only good QB we've faced and won)
Week 7: Landry Jones (lmao)
Week 8: Tyrod Taylor (meh)
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Russell Wilson (dropped 31 on us despite having one of the worst O-lines in the NFL)

That says it all. We've faced two good QBs this entire year. PPG allowed without even considering the context of the opponents we've played means nothing. What happens when we face good QBs again in the Playoffs? Big Ben or Derek Carr will shred this "good defense" into pieces. If Flacco catches fire again then we don't even need to talk about him. Hell, I don't have any confidence in this defense at stopping Alex Smith. People are seriously overrating how good our defense has been this season and some serious improvements are needed if we want to go for another Super Bowl run. We can't just rely on offense forever.

This is just like 2011 how people said "Hurrr durr our defense is good!" And they pretty much faced trash QBs all season

 

[Ring 6]

Look at the QBs we've played:

Week 1: Carson Palmer (11 TDs, 8 INTs @ 62.5% completion on the season)
Week 2: Ryan Tannehill (lmao)
Week 3: Brock Osweiler (LOL)
Week 4: Tyrod Taylor (meh)
Week 5: Cody Kessler (rookie)
Week 6: Andy Dalton (Only good QB we've faced and won)
Week 7: Landry Jones (lmao)
Week 8: Tyrod Taylor (meh)
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Russell Wilson (dropped 31 on us despite having one of the worst O-lines in the NFL)

That says it all. We've faced two good QBs this entire year. PPG allowed without even considering the context of the opponents we've played means nothing. What happens when we face good QBs again in the Playoffs? Big Ben or Derek Carr will shred this "good defense" into pieces. If Flacco catches fire again then we don't even need to talk about him. Hell, I don't have any confidence in this defense at stopping Alex Smith. People are seriously overrating how good our defense has been this season and some serious improvements are needed if we want to go for another Super Bowl run. We can't just rely on offense forever.

You can only face who you face. The results of this defense have been good.
Look around the league. That's what is out there.
Tyrod Taylor was in the probowl.

I'm not sure how stopping someone becomes not stopping them because you discount who they are.

 

[Ring 6]

This is just like 2011 how people said "Hurrr durr our defense is good!" And they pretty much faced trash QBs all season

It's nothing like that. The 2011 defense did not play anywhere as well as this one is.

 

[Ring 6]

This is just like 2011 how people said "Hurrr durr our defense is good!" And they pretty much faced trash QBs all season

Oh and that team went to the SB and would have won if the offense got it done.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

and slowing descending week by week...

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Please...just stop. This defense is below average.

The bottom line is this:

The defense this year has yet to do what it did in '14 after Mayo went down, that is, work together effectively as a unit, with heightened intensity, communication, focus and physicality.

Maybe we just need more guys named Brandon...

 

[Nunchucks]

Before last week they allowed 17 or less 6 straight games discounting a garbage time td with 30 seconds left a 24 point lead and backups on the field for both teams.

Are you telling me a defense that allows 17 points or less is bad?

Against terrible offenses. I realize you can only play who you play, but the first real quarterback they played, who has a terrible offensive line, they give up over 30.

 

[Nunchucks]

Oh and that team went to the SB and would have won if the offense got it done.

If they could have gotten off the field.

 

[Flash]

You can only face who you face. The results of this defense have been good.
Look around the league. That's what is out there.
Tyrod Taylor was in the probowl.

I'm not sure how stopping someone becomes not stopping them because you discount who they are.

And the whole point is that we are not going to face those awful offenses in the Playoffs. Just answer me this: do you really think this defense can stop Derek Carr from dropping 28+ points in the Playoffs?

 

[patfanken]

You guys just don't get it. You know all the cliches, yet you don't even try to understand the meaning behind them. "You play to win the game", not to pile up defensive stats. "You try and build a TEAM", not acquire INDIVIDUAL stars. Have we learned NOTHING from BB's past 17 years as our HC, or are we nothing more than pimps for the mediots who don't care about anything but to create contraversy whenever possible.

You know there was a time where the TEAM actually mattered. Back in the 60's it was all about the Celtics vs the Lakers. But by the 80's it was all about Bird vs Magic, Jordan vs Thomas, etc etc. It became all about the INDIVIDUALS who play the game.

So all I read about in this thread is about how Chandler Jones has accomplished this INDIVIDUAL stat or that individual stat, and totally ignores how disappointing his TEAM has been. Cameron Wake has been an excellent pass rusher who has never played in a playoff game.

BB's great teams of the 2000's NEVER had a great individual pass rusher. Only ONCE in that decade did any Patriot player hit double digits in sacks (Vrabel in 07) You have to wonder how the F^ck did those teams win all those games, when clearly Bellichick and his respective DC's knew nothing about defense

This doesn't mean that the defense doesn't play poorly on occasion, like the other night vs Seattle. It doesn't mean that we should never criticize the defense (or the offense for that matter), WHEN its deserved (like the other night vs Seattle). I know I certainly did in the post game 'idle thoughts'. But the fact remains that what disturbs me in the few pages I read in this thread is the constant focus that the reason the defense supposedly sucks, is that we don't have the "INDIVIDUAL stars" to make it work. I don't think so.

IMHO the defense failed vs Seattle because it wasn't prepared well, and it showed in all the presnap confusion that seemed to be prevelent for most of the game. It showed in the lack of intensity and excitement from the players. It has shown in the lack of turnovers throughout this season. So if you want to complain, complain about THOSE aspects of the defense. But STOP piling on about a defense that is partially responsible for a 7-2 record and a mind numbing number of successes over the last 15 years.

In the end it was ONE bad game, for christ's sake. A game that ultimately lost because the offense couldn't score a TD after being first a goal from the 2....but that is a subject for a whole nother list of compaints we can make.

 

[Ring 6]

Against terrible offenses. I realize you can only play who you play, but the first real quarterback they played, who has a terrible offensive line, they give up over 30.

I have already shown the offenses they have played are pretty much the same as the offenses everyone else has played.
You can pretend it's not true but it is.

Plus results are results. It's crazy to say results don't count and your guess if evat would happen against different teams does.
When they play other QBs we will see what happens but you can o let hudhe them in the field by results.

Everyone is playing roughly this schedule. That's the NFL and moreover. that's the afc.

Not sure how you call dalton not a real QB. Tyrod Taylor isn't my kind of QB but the dude was in a probowl.
Palmer was almost mvp a year ago.

Tannehill is very good at doing exactly what he did against us, roll up garbage stays in a loss.

osweiler beat us last year.

Every team has a Cleveland on their schedule.

Sure roethlisberger was out but you are making it like we faced the worst at 9 QBs in the league.
We have played pretty similar offenses to everyone else.

 

[Ring 6]

And the whole point is that we are not going to face those awful offenses in the Playoffs. Just answer me this: do you really think this defense can stop Derek Carr from dropping 28+ points in the Playoffs?

You can only look at the results. If the defense was playing poorly against the average group of QBs it (like everyone else) faces then it would be scary. Playing well against average competition is not a bad thing.

The raiders defense is awful. Do you think they can hold Brady to less than 40?

 

[Ring 6]

I see the mental giants are out with their disagree button. Must be nice to be a fan if a team and get angry about good news.

 

[Ring 6]

And the whole point is that we are not going to face those awful offenses in the Playoffs. Just answer me this: do you really think this defense can stop Derek Carr from dropping 28+ points in the Playoffs?

And by your argument who will? There isn't a team out there that is allowing significantly fewer points to significantly better opponents.

Have you looked at it? I have. In fact I posted it here. Patriots are 6th in points allowed and have faced about average competition compared to the top 5 which are barely ahead of them by the way.
If the bills didn't score the garbage td vs backups with 30 seconds left down by 24 the pats d would be #2 in the NFL in points allowed and only 3 points behind #1. All against similar competition

This straw man that the patriots have played lesser competition is just not true.

 

[aluminum seats]

If the bills didn't score...

Could we not play this game? Every single team can say something similar...opponents' points off cheap turnovers, scores late in the game, etc.

Saying "if only this or that team didn't score as much the Pats would've given up fewer points" is a colossal waste of time.

 

[Ring 6]

Could we not play this game? Every single team can say something similar...opponents' points off cheap turnovers, scores late in the game, etc.

Saying "if only this or that team didn't score as much the Pats would've given up fewer points" is a colossal waste of time.

Ok let's just say they are #6 and barely behind the top 5. 3,3,3,5 and 11 points to be exact.
Regardless of why that is a slim margin.
Better?

 

[aluminum seats]

Ok let's just say they are #6 and barely behind the top 5. 3,3,3,5 and 11 points to be exact.
Regardless of why that is a slim margin.
Better?

Yes. Marginally. Even better to couple that with the fact that this defense benefits from playing with a great offense that frequently puts the opponent way behind, and therefore one-dimensional.

And that the defense had its worst game after a particularly tumultuous player departure and bye week. Bottom line, if you can't acknowledge the defense is a bit of a worry right now I think you're in denial.