New England Patriots rumors are addressing a defense that hasn’t been that great during the 2017 NFL season. In fact, The Patriots’ defense comes in as one of the lowest-ranked units in the entire NFL. Is it possible that the defense could end up costing the Patriots a real shot at adding a sixth Super Bowl title in the past 17 NFL seasons?

A report by the Boston Herald points out some negative numbers for the New England Patriots this season. The team finished the regular season ranked 29th in total yards per game allowed at 366.0. The article points out that the worst-ranked defense to win a Super Bowl were the 2006 Indianapolis Colts, who entered their postseason ranked 25th in defensive DVOA.

Are Patriots defensive stats misleading?

There are some positive arguments that can be made about these Patriots defensive stats being a bit misleading. The team gives up a lot of yards playing the prevent defense and there are times when quarterback Tom Brady has simply been too successful on offense. Scoring too often puts the defense back on the field much sooner, leading to the potential of more yards against them.

This season, Tom Brady is putting up MVP numbers again, scoring at will and leading the NFL in passing yards. Despite missing a number of weapons on offense, the Patriots still found a way to score a lot of points this season, leading to a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.

From that view, it appears that the Patriots might be able to keep up with any offensive numbers opposing teams can post against them.

Will Patriots dynasty continue?

While the New England Patriots rumors about their defense can certainly become a hot topic of conversation during the 2018 NFL Playoffs, it doesn’t take away from what the franchise has been able to accomplish.

This is a Patriots dynasty that has won five Super Bowls since 2001 and is in a good position to add a sixth trophy this postseason. The team has home-field advantage through the postseason and Foxboro is a tough place to play in January.

One stat that doesn’t get enough attention is that the Patriots have the top-ranked scoring defense since Week 5.

The team has allowed only 14.0 points per game in that span, despite giving up a lot of yards on the ground and through the air. This “bend-but-don’t-break” mentality could be perfect for the NFL postseason. It shows that the Patriots’ defense comes up big when it counts and that the underrated group might have something to prove to the world in January.
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