Patriots Already Reaping Rewards Of Major Offseason Focus
The New England Patriots couldn’t get home in 2024.
No, we aren’t talking about travel woes, rather their complete and total inability to apply sustained pressure on opposing quarterbacks under defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and head coach Jerod Mayo.
New England finished at the bottom of the pack in sacks last season, with their 28 being three fewer than the next closest team (Atlanta Falcons; 31) and less than half of the most productive team (Denver Broncos; 63). Mayo and Covington obviously aren’t around to try and fix things, having been replaced by new head coach Mike Vrabel, and co-defensive play-callers Terrell Williams and Zak Kuhr.
It’s going… better.
The Patriots lead the league in sacks (9.0) following their Week 2 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Harold Landry III (3.5), Milton Williams (2.0) K’Lavon Chaisson (1.5) Robert Spillane (1.0) and Jaylinn Hawkins (1.0) have all gotten on the board through two weeks, with the latter being the only returning player on that list.
Vrabel and Williams, the defensive coordinator who has missed substantial time due to health scares, were extremely intentional about bringing in players they felt could impact the opposing quarterback.
Landry entered the season with 50.5 career sacks, and had familiarity with the two defensive-minded coaches during their time together with the Tennessee Titans. Williams slowly increased his year-over-year total during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. Chaisson is a former first-round pick who is coming off a season where he finished with 5.0 sacks for the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s safe to say those guys have been difference-makers in the passing game, whether they’ve been aided by schemed pressure or not.
The Patriots are on pace to surpass last season’s total by Week 7, and will look to keep adding to that total throughout what they hope to be a playoff campaign — with the early returns of their primary offseason focus being pretty damn good.