‘D’ breaks through
Unit bends but refuses to snap
NEW ORLEANS — After the opening game, there was much more panic about the Patriots defense. The offense had issues, but the defense was borderline inept against the Chiefs. So the worry meter was understandably jacked up much higher on that side of the ball.
With the Saints and their porous secondary on deck, one had to figure Tom Brady and the offense would rebound in a big way.
But the defense? With Drew Brees armed and ready to pile on?
Let’s just say Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia’s crew showed the naysayers a little something during yesterday’s 36-20 rout of the Saints. Maybe we thought the defense couldn’t find its way out of a paper bag given all the communication problems from a week ago, but Belichick and Patricia simplified things and tightened the screws.
The defense showed it can do its part, even without leader Dont’a Hightower, who missed the game with a knee injury.
It can get back into the bend-but-don’t-break zone, as opposed to just breaking.
“We wanted to simplify some things. I think the coaching staff did a good job of that,” said safety and defensive captain Duron Harmon. “Getting guys lined up, just playing fast and physical.”
The Patriots defense stood tough on third down, with Brees only converting 4-of-12 opportunities, and was 1-for-2 in the red zone until the Saints scored during fourth-quarter garbage time.
The Patriots were much better against the run, limiting the Saints trio of Adrian Peterson, Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara to just 81 yards on 17 carries. Last week, Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt alone torched them for 148 yards on 17 carries.
“Up front (they) played amazing, the way they handled the run game. Hat’s off to those guys, to make them one-dimensional and help the pass rush and the pass coverage,” said Harmon. “We were definitely a lot smoother and a lot better than last week.
“It’s not where we want to be. It’s the second game. We know that we are going to have some mistakes on the field that we are going to have to learn from. But I would rather learn from them this way then the last way (last week’s loss).”
Belichick and Patricia made some changes. Up front, they used defensive tackle Lawrence Guy ahead of Alan Branch, and that moved paid off.
Rookie defensive end Deatrich Wise was also a presence on the edge, playing more meaningful snaps due to Hightower’s absence. He registered the lone sack of Brees, but was a constant pain to the Saints coming off the edge for the Pats.
“It’s just been great these last two games,” Wise said. “I just want to keep showing my teammates and coaches what I can do for the team.”
Elandon Roberts was also a big contributor in slowing the run game. The linebacker might have been on the back of a milk carton the first week, but he was all over the place against the Saints as one of the leading tacklers along with safety Patrick Chung, as each had eight stops.
The coaches also made a change in the secondary, perhaps due to matchups given the size of New Orleans’ receivers, making Malcolm Butler the nickel corner, with Eric Rowe the No.2 opposite Stephon Gilmore. When Rowe left the game with a groin injury, Jonathan Jones slipped in as the third corner, and ended up making two pivotal pass breakups, one in the end zone.
“When you get your opportunities, you want to make plays and contribute,” said Jones, an undrafted free agent out of Auburn who was signed last season. “That helped get us off the field on third down.”
Getting off the field was something the Pats couldn’t do last week against KC. They couldn’t make a stop. It seemed like one continuous big play after another.
There were a few more against the Saints, but none for touchdowns, as the defense surrendered quite a few plays of 20-plus yards once again. That falls in line with the bend-butdon’t-break category. Brees completed seven passes of 20-or-more yards, so there’s still work to do.
This defense still has issues. It’s not out of the woods just yet. But at least there’s some hope it can hold its own in games and do its part.
“I think the main thing was our energy level, and everyone being locked in for 60 minutes,” said Harmon. “When you get that kind of effort from all our guys, it’s going to make us a pretty good team.
“There’s going to be stuff we need to correct. We’ve got to learn from that, and move on,” he added. “We’ve got a good Texans team coming in. They’re coming off a big win. We’re going to get their best like we always do.”