New England Patriots: Positives and negatives from 2019 season
3. Positive: Defensive dominance
In year’s past, we’ve often seen the New England offense far outshine what it was able to do on the defensive side of the ball. But in 2019, both in the regular season and in the lone postseason contest, the defense was an area that the Patriots thrived in while the offense was an area where they struggled to some extent.
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The New England defensive group was stellar for really a majority of the season this year, leading the NFL or ranking near the top of the league in multiple defensive categories. They were able to stifle opposing offenses and beat them into submission, even when the offense wasn’t able to find their footing.
In 16 contests during the regular season, the Patriots ranked first in the NFL in total yards it allowed opposing offenses to average per game, giving up 275.9 yards per game. New England also ranked first in points given up per game with 14.1, while also managing to record a league-most 25 interceptions throughout the year.
For a team and an organization that has often been led by its ability to overpower opponents with its high-powered offense, New England’s defense was something that ended up leading the way in multiple games throughout the 2019 campaign and ultimately helped lead the Patriots to a 12-win season.