New England Patriots: 3 keys to defensive success in 2020
The New England Patriots have 3 keys to continued defensive success in the 2020 NFL season.
Observers are speculating that the 2020 New England Patriots will depend upon their defense to deliver success for the team in 2020. Based on their lack of aggressive bolstering of their offense in the 2020 offseason, that seems to be spot on target.
Having lost Tom Brady and done little else to shore up a lackluster offensive side of the ball in the offseason, the Patriots will have to excel on defense to defend their AFC East Division crown. We can look to three key defensive elements that could contribute to that success in 2020.
The Patriots’ defense in 2019 was a very good one. In fact, it Pro Football Reference had it rated as the No. 1 rated team defense in the National Football League overall. And the defense only surrendered 20 touchdowns total in 2019. That’s really good.
Their passing defense was rated No. 2 and their rushing defense No. 6. These were great statistics. So why did the New England Patriots have an unusually abbreviated season in 2019?
That’s a tough question to answer. But here’s a try, the Patriots faltered last season because of two major reasons. First, their offense did not deliver in key situations to extend drives or get touchdowns instead of settling for a field goal attempt. Those were costly.
The other reason is that the Patriots’ defense didn’t show up against the better teams to make a difference. The defense thrived on poor teams, as they should. But, when “the rubber met the road”, so to speak, they wilted.
That same defense will be well-motivated to prove themselves this season, especially without the safety valve available to them in No. 12. Perhaps they relied on that a bit too much in 2019.
In 2020, there’ll likely be no one back there at quarterback (unless maybe a certain Cam Newton is ultimately signed) who will have the talent, poise, and experience to bail them out of a bad game effort. That’s yet to be seen.
Meanwhile, here are 3 keys for that defense to hopefully give that offense what it needs to win games.