5 New England Patriots players who must roar in Week 5 vs Detroit Lions
5. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley must be a factor on defense for the New England Patriots
The Detroit Lions have been an offensive buzzsaw so far during the 2022 NFL season and it starts with their rushing attack.
With the New England Patriots entering this Week 5 matchup ranked No. 31 against the run, it is safe to say this is an area of focus for Bill Belichick against a Lions team that has been tearing it up on the ground. This means inside linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley needs to step up in a major way.
The Patriots will catch a break as explosive Lions will be without explosive running back D’Andre Swift, but Jamaal Williams has been tearing it up the last two weeks, including 108 yards rushing with two touchdowns a week ago against the Seattle Seahawks.
With the defensive line limited without Lawrence Guy in this game, Bentley is a player who must step up at the linebacker position to help keep that Lions’ ground attack in check. The Patriots defensive will need to be physical in this Week 5 matchup and it starts with Bentley who is well aware of what his team is facing at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
"“Oh, [the running game is] definitely a priority for them, they take pride in it, as well we take pride in stopping it so we are looking forward for the challenge,” Bentley told the media on Friday, via Patirots.com. “They’ve got a lot of great guys, good o-linemen, good scheme for sure. We we’re just excited about it, but they’re definitely a physical football team. That’s what you’d like to see.”"
In order to stop the Lions from having their way on the ground and in this game, Bentley and the defense must win the line of scrimmage battle which should provide many opportunities for the inside linebacker to make plays. That’s where his tackling ability and physicality will come in to play. Though the team has been poor against the run the last couple of weeks, a lot of big runs have come due to miss tackling.
With Christian Barmore and Devon Godchaux clogging the middle, look for a big game from Ja’Whaun Bentley on Sunday.