Patriots Lead NFL in Major Category

If you look at the comments section on the New England Patriots' social media pages in the first half of the team's Week 2 game, you'll read a lot of uncertainty. The Patriots' offense was putting up points to compete, but their defense was allowing the Miami Dolphins to get away with too much. Little did Pats Nation know what news they'd get on 'victory Monday.'

Despite that narrative being out there about the defense not being up to par, Mike Vrabel and company got out of Hard Rock Stadium with a 33-27 "W" and flew home all smiles.

That's not all the Patriots and their fans, for that matter, need to be smiling about.

The Monday morning stat sheet of who is dominating in the league right now is public knowledge, and it looks like the Patriots are now the polar opposite in one area that they were a year ago.

As of today, September 15th, 2025, the Patriots' defense leads the league in sacks, nine to be exact. That's one more than the Green Bay Packers' eight recorded sacks. The news of this is a far cry from what a Jerod Mayo-coached team looked like in 2024.

The #Patriots currently lead the NFL in sacks.

After being the worst pass rush team in the league last season with 28 total sacks, New England is currently on pace for 77 total sacks this season.

Incredible turnaround. pic.twitter.com/BhgdtX0nOK
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) September 15, 2025

Last season, the Patriots were the worst pass rush team in the league, as they finished off their year with 28 total sacks in 2024. As it stands right now, through the power of math and analytics, they are now on pace to achieve 77 total sacks this season.

What a difference Mike Vrabel has already made at 1 Patriot Place.

The sack that bumped the Patriots up to leading the league came late when defensive end Milton Williams put the game away by sacking Tua Tagovailoa with less than a minute to go.

Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Harold Landry III (2) reacts against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Despite two decades of dominance led by Tom Brady, the Patriots' offense was always backed up by a great defense. Even in Bill Belichick's final years as head coach, the Patriots still had an impressive front to stop an opposing offense. Although they're still in the early stages of a rebuild in Foxborough, the possibility is there that some things may never change, regardless of who coaches the Patriots, and maybe that's not a bad thing.

Vrabel is still considered a very defensive-minded coach, and with Josh McDaniels at the helm to instill confidence in second-year quarterback Drake Maye, there's a chance that success could follow on both sides of the ball in a familiar fashion for fans.

The Patriots look to carry this confidence into their game next Sunday as Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town. Does that guarantee more sacks for the Patriots' defense? No, but it sure will be fun to watch them keep their defensive momentum going.

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