Patriots Defense Has Major Test vs. Steelers

The New England Patriots are back in action as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium.

The Pats have a defense that's young and slightly inexperienced in some areas, but they have to find ways to be better as a unit. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about how the team needs to make sure it doesn't give up big plays.

“I have to do better,” Vrabel said.

“We won’t be the only team that they get explosive plays against, and we’ll just have to continue to be better. I know that. I understand that. There were times where we took away those throwing lanes, and there were times that we certainly didn’t. I told you that we had to be willing to give up some of those plays outside the numbers. … They probably hit too many, but we’ll be OK.”

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel watches from the sideline against the Miami Dolphins. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Vrabel is also placing a big responsibility on inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, who is calling plays for the defense. Vrabel thinks Kuhr is off to a good start, but he needs some improvement.

“We had some good plays, and we had some plays we would like to have back,” Vrabel said of Kuhr. “Again, as long as the operation is good, there’s no perfect play. There are good calls — there are no perfect calls. It’s about getting it in there. … We weren’t scrambling, I didn’t feel, at any point in time.”

The longer the season goes, the more comfortable Kuhr and the Patriots defense will be. That will make the unit more dangerous over time.

The Steelers have been one of the better offenses in the NFL so far this season, ranking eighth in the league in points per game. Only the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars have scored more points in the first two weeks.

If Kuhr and the Pats defense can figure things out against the Steelers, they will have a good chance to pull out a win and make a statement in the AFC.

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