Patriots 2015 End of Regular Season Report Card – Defense

Steve Balestrieri Senior Writer · PatsFans.com since 2011

Jan 7, 2016 at 6:00 am ET 7 min read 2.9k views

Photo: David Butler II - USA TODAY Sports

7 min read Patriots Commentary

With the Patriots regular season in the books for 2015, it is a great time to take a look at the positions and give them a grade for the season before the playoffs begin.

We’ll start with the offense, then the defense and finally special teams and coaching. With a 12-4 season, there will obviously be plenty of positives, as there should be. But there was lots of room for improvement in lots of areas as well.

But the bottom line is the Patriots won their 13^th division title in 15 years. This was supposed to be the year that they were pushed by the Bills and Dolphins and that never materialized. The Jets made great improvements this season but never seriously threatened the Patriots for the division crown.

The defense made big changes in 2015 after being a strength of a team that won the Super Bowl last year. The Patriots cut ties with Vince Wilfork, Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington, all of whom played key roles in the 2014 defense.

Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia had plans to beef up the front seven and trust in some young players in the secondary to carry the team this season. How’d they do? Were they up to the task? Read my final grades by position for the defense and special teams, and feel free to chime in with your own thoughts.

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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