New England Patriots defense a much improved unit

The New England Patriots defense has really stepped it up since starting the season as one of the worst in the league.

During week one through six, the New England Patriots defense was ranked dead last in the NFL. Yes you are reading that right, they are even ranked below the Cleveland Browns (take a minute to let that one sink in).

But according to a tweet from Doug Kyed, a Patriots beat reporter for NESN, they now rank 13th in points allowed. That’s a far cry from dead last. Let’s take some looks at the evolution of the Pats defense.

The rough start

According to their NFL website, the Patriots through the first six weeks were giving up at least 300 yards to every quarterback ( and yes that includes Josh McCown).

The most heartbreaking loss was the 33-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers. They let Cam Newton, who before that game only had two touchdowns and four interceptions go 316 yards, three touchdowns and one interception according to Pro Football Reference.

The turnaround

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The New England Patriots have held their last their last six opponents to below 25 points, according to the Patriots website. They even just held the Oakland Raiders to eight points when they played in Mexico. Ever since that game against the Panthers this defense has found a way to make sure their opponents aren’t scoring as much.

Much credit goes to the development of Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise Jr. who have been coming up big in the last couple weeks.

Honorary mention

Let’s not forget the unsung hero of this secondary: Jonhnson Bademosi. He came up huge against teams like the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers where he had eight and five tackles respectively according to Pro Football Reference.  If I had to pick one player who I think deserves some sort of special mention it’s definitely him.

Next: New England Patriots: 5 defensive playmakers to watch in 2017

Is this defense enough?

The question still remains if this defense is good enough to not only bring them to playoffs, but to win the Patriots yet another super bowl. After looking at the stats and seeing them play I do believe they can make it to the super bowl but only time will tell if they can win it.