New England Patriots: Ranking the top 5 defenses of the 21st century

New England Patriots top defense No. 3: 2004

By 2004, the Patriots had established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the league. After all, they relied quite heavily on their defense to help them win their previous two Super Bowl trophies, and that was expected to be the case again in 2004. And while it definitely was, 2004 will probably be remembered more for it being the season where Tom Brady really began to take his game to the next level (but that’s a discussion for another time.)

The 2004 defense finished 7th in DVOA and tied for second in overall scoring (ironically, they tied with the team they would eventually beat in the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles). Richard Seymour and Tedy Bruschi were the team’s two Pro Bowl representatives, with Seymour also earning All Pro honors for the second straight season.

Bruschi was an animal in 2004, and put together arguably his best season as a pro, racking up 124 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Seymour was his usual dominant self, picking up five sacks and five tackles for a loss, while also producing one of the plays of the season with a 68 yard touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.

Even after Bruschi and Seymour, the front seven had tons of depth, and they pummeled their opposition all season long. Willie McGinest led the team with 9.5 sacks, Mike Vrabel led the way with 10 tackles for a loss, and Vince Wilfork helped anchor the run defense in his rookie season. The common theme early in the Patriots dynasty involved getting the most out of every player, and that certainly was the case in 2004.

The secondary was given a huge lift by Rodney Harrison, who finished the season with an absurd 141 tackles. Starting cornerback Ty Law was limited to just seven games, forcing the team to adapt. Asante Samuel stepped up to fill Law’s void (he led the team with 12 passes deflected), and Randall Gay and Eugene Wilson stepped up to round out the secondary.

While the pass defense did lag behind a bit due to their personnel changes, it didn’t hamper the defense for the most part. Plus, the team’s front seven was so solid that it rarely ever mattered. While the 2004 defense was very good and played a huge hand in the team’s third Super Bowl in four seasons, they were just a step behind where the team found themselves the season before.