Mike Dussault

Great poll on PatsFans. What would you prefer? 2009, 2010, or 2011’s Patriots defense?

Personally I’m going with 2011. It was a lot easier decision when Andre Carter was still upright, but I’m still sticking with this year’s gutsy squad that has consistently made more impressive stops than the previous two years. And that’s not saying a lot, but it’s saying something.

Once again, the New England Patriots’ defense showed that it is the Achilles’ heel of this team. Going into the game Saturday, there were two players they needed to stop — Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush. Both were impact players for the Miami Dolphins, as Marshall had two explosive plays in the first quarter and Bush accounted for 139 yards from scrimmage. TAKE THAT Lions clinch playoff berth. Giants stomp Jets. Niners top Seahawks. Week 16 review. The Dolphins jumped out to 17-0 lead at halftime. But, as good teams do, the Patriots made the necessary halftime adjustments. In the third and fourth quarters, the Pats came out in a no-huddle, up-tempo offense that completely wore down the Dolphins’ defense and put up 27 consecutive points. With Tom Brady behind center, that no-huddle offense could be lethal in the playoffs. The Patriots just need to be aware the additional strain that will put on their defense if they go three-and-out in a no-huddle format, because the defense gets no rest and has no time to make adjustments.

Brady passed Joe Montana to move into a tie for 7th all time in game winning drives (34). Crazily enough Peyton Manning (46) is 2nd behind Dan Marino (51).

Devin McCourty is having a big sophomore slump, but he’s not the only one; Sam Shields and E.J. Biggers are also second-year corners who had excellent charting numbers as rookies but haven’t found as much success this season.