NFL Week 15: Fatal flaw of each current playoff team
By Randy Gurzi
New England Patriots: Bend but don’t break could eventually break
The New England Patriots defense struggled early in the season, but they’ve found a way to regroup and make things click. Looking at their total points surrendered, you would probably even conclude that they’re one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. Following Week 14, they are surrendering just 19.2 points per game, which is good enough to rank them at No. 5 in the league.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
However, looking deeper they still have their issues. The Patriots give up nearly 375 yards per game which lands them at No. 29. They fall in the same rank in terms of stopping the pass, giving up 254 per contest.
The chunks of yardage with minimal points means this team is all-in on the “bend but don’t break” defense. They may allow opponents to move the chains, but they clamp down and either hold teams to field goals, or find ways to create turnovers.
Problem is, you can only bend so much before finally breaking and against the best of the best — which is what they will see in the playoffs — they’re much more likely to break. The good news is as long as Tom Brady is the quarterback, their offense is good enough to outscore anyone, but balance would be better.