As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. This year, Jonathan Heitritter and I will cover the opposing team’s defense. I will focus on the scheme, Jonathan on the players.
Today, scouting the New England Patriots’ defense.
ALEX’S SCHEME REPORT
Patriots Run Defense
As bad as the Patriots are, their run defense is good. The best, in fact, from a couple of key statistics. They’re allowing just 3.2 YPC this season, the best mark in football. In Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, L.A. ran 24 times for just 29 yards. Starting RB Austin Ekeler had 14 carries for 18 yards and a *long* of four.
It’s a 3-4 front with big people up front, led by DT Christian Barmore. They have old school linebackers like Ja’Whuan Bentley, their Elandon Roberts but bigger. On the season, they’ve given up just nine rushing scores, an above-average mark, and they’ve allowed just 20 runs of 10 or more yards. That’s number one in football so this is a legitimate group.
Bentley leads the team with 79 tackles. Hybrid safety/linebacker Kyler Duggar is one of their small-school gems and does it all for their defense. He has 74 tackles. And Barmore, despite being an interior plugger, leads the Patriots with seven tackles for a loss. He’ll be a handful in the middle, especially with Pittsburgh hurting along the interior with injuries to C Mason Cole and OG Isaac Seumalo (their statuses are uncertain heading into tonight).
The defensive line can plug and two-gap to free up linebackers. Excellent example here. In the second clip versus the Chargers, watch No. 8, Bentley, completely unblocked, fill this gap for the run stuff.
The Pats seem to respond to motion, even wide receiver motion, and will shift their defensive line. Against two tight end sets to one side, they’ll play an Over front and shift that way. Ends up being a pass but you see the shift.
Some other defensive stats. They’re allowing 21.2 points per game, 15th in the NFL, and have allowed 10 or fewer points in each of their last three games. Somehow all losses but certainly not because of their defense. Their red zone defense is only average at 38.3 percent but they’re just outside the top five in the red zone, sixth place at 45.7 percent. It’s why they keep the score down, much like the Steelers. In fact, the two have identical red zone defense rates. Finally, the Pats have only 52 missed tackles this season, tied for 7th-best in football. A disciplined group, a hallmark of Bill Belichick-coached teams. He can still teach defense.
Patriots Pass Defense
Less impressive than their run defense but solid. Allowing 6.8 YPA (tied 11th), 13 pass touchdowns (fourth-fewest) with 36 completions of 20-plus yards allowed (17th). They don’t pick off a bunch of passes, just six, and their sacks are low (24 of them, 28th despite heavy blitzing) so that’s a weak point.
They do have the sixth-highest blitz rate at 36 percent and per Pro Football Reference, the No. 1 hurry rate at just over 10 percent. Just hasn’t translated to a ton of sacks. Three players tie for the team lead with four sacks each in DL Christian Barmore, LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, and DE Matthew Judon. Judon, though, has been out for months. They get their sacks from scheme and from a lot of people instead of one star. Judon even still leads the team in QB hits with nine despite not playing since Oct. 1.
Dugger leads the team with two picks. No one else has more than one. Their secondary has battled injuries, losing first-round CB Christian Gonzalez for the year while CB Jonathan Jones missed time, though he’s back now.
On third downs, like many NFL teams, they like to mug up and put people in the A gaps. Belichick does have a “rain” call where both players can align in the A gap and the man who blitzes is the guy the center goes away from. The other one pops out into coverage. So if the center moves away from the player on the right, that guy blitzes. Blitzing opposite the slide so the center is always wrong. But I didn’t see that in the games I watched this year. Instead, they have brought both and essentially run a part of Dick LeBeau’s Fire X, twisting each into the opposite A gap.
Coverage-wise, they’re relatively typical. Zone on early downs, more man/robber on third down (in part because they blitz more here). Belichick is part of the Nick Saban tree of zone matches, Rip/Liz match out of their Cover 3 shell to defend and carry vertical routes (the answer to four verticals against Cover 3). You can see that on this rep, carrying the seams while the post gets passed off.
With a veteran secondary and versatile safeties like Jabrill Peppers, there’s a lot of post-snap rotation and different pictures from the time the offense breaks the huddle to the time the ball is snapped. Peppers will bounce around, Troy Polamalu light (very light, to be clear) in the sense of you’re not quite sure where he’ll end up post-snap. And they’re comfortable enough to make sweeping checks at the line if they feel the offense audible. They’re not a static group and they communicate well.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Steelers enter Thursday night in a must-win situation to keep their spot in the playoff race after suffering a humiliating loss at home last Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals. They will be taking on a 2-10 New England Patriots squad that ranks worst in the league in scoring offense but whose defense presents a more notable challenge. New England is 15th in the NFL in points allowed this season and ranks eighth in football in total yards allowed, ranking 16th against the pass and third overall in football against the run.
Defensive Line
The Patriots’ defensive line doesn’t have that Pro Bowler making headlines, but it does possess several guys who play technique-sound football and execute their jobs at a high level. No. 91 Deatrich Wise Jr. has developed into a solid base defensive end who can move up and down the line of scrimmage, playing outside shade of the OT and kick inside as a 3-tech on the guard. He plays the run well and is disruptive as a pass rusher, playing with great effort and improved hand usage like a two-hand swipe or swim move to defeat blocks and rush the quarterback.
No. 93 Lawrence Guy is the other listed starting defensive end, but the 6-4, 315-pounder plays more as a pseudo-defensive tackle as a 3-4 defensive end. He isn’t much of a pass rusher, but he has been a sound run defender for most of his career. No. 99 Keion White also gets plenty of run for New England as the former second-round pick from this draft class has logged four starts this season, providing more of an athletic pass rusher who has the frame and size to play against the run. He is a fluid mover and can bend the corner and utilize his hands to defeat blocks on his way to the quarterback. No. 96 Sam Roberts and No. 70 Jeremiah Pharms provide depth.
For the interior, No. 92 Davon Godchaux came over from Miami and has made himself a fixture on the Patriots’ defensive line. Like Guy, Godchaux isn’t a highly touted pass rusher, but makes his money as a stout run defender. Taking on blocks and holding gaps at the line of scrimmage, he has the strength and quickness to shed and bottle up ball carriers on inside runs. No. 90 Christian Barmore is entering his third year and has taken a step forward in 2023, posting 30 total stops, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, and six pass deflections as an athletic big man who can rush the passer. He also does a great job getting his hands up to bat down passes.
Linebackers
The headliner of the outside linebacker group, Matt Judon, has been out since Oct. 1 with a torn biceps, being placed on injured reserve. With Judon out, New England has relied on No. 55 Josh Uche and No. 33 Anfernee Jennings to hold down the fort on the edges. The 6-4, 245-pounder Uche is a bit of a tweener, winning with speed as a pass rusher but has had a down season in 2023, posting just two sacks compared to the 11.5 he had a season ago.
Jennings is more of a run defender than a pass rusher given his limited athleticism but does well taking on blocks and setting the edge. He has 1.5 sacks and five tackles for loss on the season.
At inside linebacker, No. 8 Ja’Whaun Bentley has taken over the role of downhill thumper for New England’s defense. The 6-2, 250-pounder has the size and the demeanor to play with a reckless abandonment near the line of scrimmage as he will run through blocks just as much as he will stack and shed them to blow up plays in the backfield. He is also an accomplished blitzer who will put pressure on the quarterback. He has 79 total stops (38 solo) on the season, including five tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, four sacks, a forced fumble and three pass deflections.
No. 48 Jahlani Tavai also starts for New England as a former second-round pick of the Detroit Lions, also giving the Patriots a thickly built run defender. The 6-2, 255-pounder plays both in the box as well as out on the edge, having the size and strength to take on tight ends and set the edge against the run. He can be a hammer coming downhill as well shooting gaps, doing his best work near the line of scrimmage. He also has delivered decent play in coverage with four pass breakups and an interception so far this season.
No. 3 Mack Wilson also plays a fair amount for New England on passing downs as more of a coverage linebacker, possessing good instincts in zone coverage to step in front of passes and deflect balls. Wilson is a willing tackler but doesn’t take the best angles in pursuit and likes to leave his feet as a tackler. The Patriots also have No. 30 Marte Mapu, who has played 155 snaps on defense this season as more of a sub-package linebacker, as well as core special teamer No. 45 Chris Board.
Cornerbacks
No. 31 Jonathan Jones is an undersized yet athletic cover corner with the speed and explosiveness to run with most receivers in man coverage. He has a quick trigger downhill on underneath throws to contest in zone coverage and can be opportunistic at attacking the football in the air. He’s had a bit of a down year though compared to last season, posting zero interceptions while allowing a completion percentage of 61%. No. 29 J.C. Jackson is back for New England after a poor stint in Los Angeles and has started five of seven games played since coming back. He’s a long defender who does a good job getting his hands up to deflect passes. Testing him on quick passes is the way to attack him.
No. 27 Myles Bryant has developed into a quality nickel/dime defender in the slot. The former UDFA showcases the feistiness and competitive demeanor you love to see in undersized slot corners. He is more than willing to stick his face in the fan as a run defender and is quick to break on passes and contest them. He has 57 total stops, five tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, five pass deflections, and one interception on the season. No. 26 Shaun Wade also sees time in sub-packages while No. 28 Alex Austin is more of a special teamer.
Safeties
No. 23 Kyle Dugger is a dynamic playmaker who has become one of New England’s brightest stars on defense. The fourth-year pro out of Lenoir Rhyne aligns all over the formation, playing split zone deep in the secondary and also rolling up into the box as a strong safety/sub package linebacker. He can also be deployed in the slot. The 6-2, 220-pounder packs quite the punch as a tackler, playing with phenomenal pursuit of the football. He also does a good job covering backs and tight ends, having four pass breakups and two picks this year as a do-it-all type of player.
Starting beside Dugger is No. 5 Jabrill Peppers, who overcame injury last season and is having a strong campaign in his own right. Peppers also plays all over the defense, playing on the back end in the spot vacated by longtime S Devin McCourty while also making his way to the slot and the box. He is a capable tackler who can blitz. He also has the instincts to cover the back end as well, doing his best work in zone while freed up to run around and make plays.
Behind Dugger and Peppers, No. 21 Adrian Phillips has seen his role decrease this season as New England’s former No. 3 safety in sub-packages. That role has been filled by No. 2 Jalen Mills, who was also signed in 2021 and moved from cornerback to safety this season. The move has been good for Mills. He lacks deep speed to cover down the field singled up in coverage, thriving more as a safety where he can play more off coverage while also being an asset against the run. The Patriots also have No. 22 Cody Davis and No. 41 Brenden Schooler, who occupy special teams rolls with the team.
