New York Giants Week 12: Examining the New England Patriots Defense

The Patriots' defense has a reputation for being confusing for quarterbacks to decipher. Let's dive in to see why.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Nov 23, 2023 10:16 AM EST

In this story:

The New England Patriots offense has been a trainwreck, but on defense, head coach Bill Belichick has earned his keep throughout his career. Historically, Belichick has proven capable of giving rookie quarterbacks fits consistently, and that figures to be the case against the New York Giants this weekend.

Let's see what the defense looks like these days.

Personnel

The Patriots, as always, have found ways to maximize the potential of players at key positions. In the secondary, Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger have been complete menaces. Their versatility to play as single-high safeties, in the slot, or down in the box allows the Patriots' defensive system to operate the way it does.

At cornerback, Jonathan Jones, Shaun Wade, and Myles Bryant in the slot have been the go-to guys, and while they aren’t exactly household names, they’ve been playing sound football in coverage. Losing Christian Gonzalez earlier in the season was a backbreaker for the Patriots, but their depth has rebounded nicely in his absence, as well as the absence of Marcus Jones.

Linebacker play has been something that’s impressed me in New England. Jahlani Tavai is playing the best football of his still young career and playing like one of the better linebackers in football, period. Pairing him with the maniac that is Mack Wilson has given the Patriots a duo of physical linebackers with the athleticism and instincts to make plays in coverage.

The defensive front rotates plenty between their interior players and edge rushers. Still, they have a few standouts that continue to signal why this Patriots team has been competitive despite their horrid offensive performances.

Up front, Christian Barmore has erupted this season as a very promising young player on the interior. Right now, Barmore is in the top 25 for both pressures and run stops by an interior defensive lineman. There are only 14 players in the NFL that can make that claim.

The supporting cast around him up front is comprised of Deatrich Wise Jr, Anfernee Jennings, Davon Godchaux, and Lawrence Guy Sr. Barmore’s positional versatility allows him to rotate frequently with Wise, Godchaux, and Guy and attack wherever the Patriots think they’ll have the rush advantage.

Nov 12, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) leaves the field after an NFL International Series game against the Indianapolis Colts at Deutsche Bank Park.

Scheme

As always, the Patriots' defense is all about being versatile under Belichick. Whether in coverage or along the defensive front, they like doing that.

Coverage-wise, the Patriots will spend a lot of time with a single-high safety pre-snap and post-snap - there isn’t much desire to get cute and hide things. Cover 0, Cover 1, Cover 2, and Cover 3 are the most common coverages played on the back end.

The Patriots have been one of the most blitz-happy defenses in the NFL this season, barely behind the Giants in the top 5. They do a great job of pairing that with simulated pressures. With simulated pressures, the defense crowds the line of scrimmage to drop back and rush fewer defenders to confuse the offense.

What This Means for the Giants

Against Tommy DeVito and this group of Giants receivers, I would expect the Patriots to play even more press-man coverage and probably dial up more cover 0 than they usually do.

For Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka, there has to be a plan to handle the blitzes from New England because, so far, he’s yet to find success there. The Commanders game was the one game where DeVito played very well, and it was a game where the defense tried to sit back and and not bring heat.

I’d like to see an increase in the number of screens called and add some more RPO-style plays into the game plan to allow DeVito the opportunity to take advantage of an aggressive defense if he can.

In the run game, things won’t be easy. Godchaux in the middle is going to be able to deter the inside run, while elite linebacker play will be in pursuit out wide. If the Giants can bring back more of their gap-power game, pin-pull, and counter, that’s the best chance to find success on the ground.

Keep a tight end or running back in to pass protect and make defenses think. If the Patriots are going to blitz, the Giants need to run play action to cause hesitation and keep extra blockers on the field.

Final Thoughts

I feel like I can just copy and paste this every week. The Giants' offense isn’t going to look good, but if they can just score a couple of touchdowns and field goals, the defense has been playing well enough to give them a shot.