Patriots' defense looking for answers after 3 disastrous weeks
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
What a difference a season makes.
The Patriots won the Super Bowl in February, thanks largely to a stout defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL during the regular season. Months later, despite adding stars like cornerback Stephon Gilmore, New England has allowed 95 points through three games, second-worst in the league; the Chiefs and Texans both put up more than 30 points on the reeling Patriots, and the Saints managed 20.
One thing that is evident: New England's opponents so far have done a great job scheming against the Patriots. We know Andy Reid is an excellent offensive mind, but on opening night, the way Kansas City employed Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce in motion and all over the formation must have been a surprise.
Combine that with Kareem Hunt's unexpectedly dominant performance and one of Alex Smith's best outings as a pro, and the Patriots were totally dismantled in a masterfully called game by Reid.
Saints coach Sean Payton is also known as an extreme schemer. New Orleans throws a ton at opposing defenses, and Drew Brees orchestrates the entire offense brilliantly. Also, these teams only meet once every four years, and the Saints always put up points in their dome.
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Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson came into last week's game as something of an unknown, and the Texans' coaching staff did an excellent job of playing to the rookie's strengths - namely his athletic ability.
Smith and Watson played exceptionally well in those games, but the Patriots' defense still deserves some blame for their strong showings, and even the excellent scheming they've faced doesn't excuse what's going wrong in New England.
This defense's base, as it was in 2016, is big nickel with three safeties on the field. The Patriots are able to pull this off because their huge defensive tackles are so good in the run game. However, guys like Malcolm Butler, Alan Branch, and now Adam Butler offer little versus the pass.
Deatrich Wise has been a fantastic surprise in his rookie season and Trey Flowers has continued to build on an encouraging 2016 campaign. But beyond these two, the Patriots are getting very little pass rush. That was the case to some degree last year as well - they rushed just three defenders more than any team in the league. But New England's simply giving opposing quarterbacks too much time to throw.
The loss of Dont'a Hightower has been significant too. Hightower is one of the Patriots' best, most versatile, and most important defensive players, but he has been sidelined with a knee injury - and the rest of New England's linebackers have been pedestrian at best, with Kyle Van Noy struggling mightily. Van Noy has played every snap this year, which isn't ideal.
And finally, New England's secondary has disappointed after looking like it would be among the best in football. It could force itself back into the conversation, but Malcolm Butler, Devin McCourty, and Gilmore haven't played up to their usual level. Again, the lacking pass-rush is a factor, but more should be expected from these three stalwarts. McCourty, usually a rock, had a rough outing against the Texans.
It's still early in the season, and the Super Bowl champs sit at 2-1 without a particularly difficult schedule ahead. This is just a hunch, but here's betting that Cam Newton and the Panthers' offense don't explode in Week 4 at nearly the same level as the Patriots' first three opponents.
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