Patriots Gridiron News: 3 points of emphasis heading into Week 4 vs. Dolphins
Defense must get off the field
The offensive woes wouldn’t be so drastic if there was any semblance of a defense to help keep the team in the game.
As much as the offensive unit needs to stay on the field, the defensive unit needs to find ways to get off the field on third downs.
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Against the Detroit Lions, Tom Brady only had the ball for 20:45. That means the Lions controlled the clock by running the ball effectively and converting on third downs. The Patriots have the bodies along the defensive line to be able to stop the run.
Big bodies like Malcom Brown, Danny Shelton and Lawrence Guy need to control the middle of that line. Conversely, the Patriots have to set the edge and force running backs back towards the middle. If they don’t, their lack of outside linebacker speed will continue to be the Achilles heel of this defense against the run.
And then there are the short, slant passes. Again, the lack of speed on the second level makes these easy conversions for quarterbacks like Blake Bortles and Ryan Tannenhill, who the team will face next. An aggressive pass rush will help limit those plays.
The team need Trey Flowers (if available), Adrian Clayborn, Deatrich Wise and even Dont’a Hightower to create constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks like they did in Week 1 against Deshaun Watson.
We know the team has the ability, they just need to execute. That is when good things will happen for this defensive unit.