Missed tackles. Inability to get off blocks. Blown contain. Falling down. Those four things summed up about 90% of the Patriots defensive problems in reviewing the All-22 game film this week.
It was almost a carbon copy of what we saw against Miami, where the players are in position to make plays, to get stops on third downs, but those fundamental mistakes proved the difference.
Once things began to unravel, the problems were hastened by players try to do too much. And their inability to stop the run early put them on their heels and severely hurt the pass rush.
I remain optimistic about this defense. The front seven leaders that are emerging are Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower. When they don’t play well, and they certainly didn’t against the Chiefs, the rest of the defense seems to follow suit.
Here are some player specific observations:
Chris Jones made some good plays early in the game and appeared to be returning to form. He had a good pass rush in the first quarter, showing good violence in his hands to knock the offensive lineman off balance.
Rob Ninkovich hasn’t shown up in many big plays this year, but his ability to set the edge is solid. Chandler Jones on the other hand was up and down setting the edge all night and it eventually got him pulled, though he did appear to injure his shoulder and that could’ve played into the benching as well.
It comes back to DO YOUR JOB for Chandler. He’s trying to beat guys inside instead of setting a hard edge and it came back to hurt him at least four times for big gains. He has to shoulder a good deal of blame in this one.
Dont’a Hightower was up and down as well, and is another guy trying to do too much later in the game resulting in him being out of position due to overaggressiveness. He and Jones must bounce back this week and the rest of the defense will look a whole lot better.
Revis has caught some flack but I think he’s really close to being the player we thought he was. He has perfect position but he’s just millimeters off right now. That will change.
And as for those people worrying about the scheme, it’s the least of their problems. Again, set the edge and tackle and they’re forcing at least 3 more punts in this game easy.
Jamie Collins is not a downhill player inside. He has trouble taking on offensive linemen coming to block him and relies on his athleticism (as he should) to get around them. But he will not defeat them with physicality and thus he gets lost in the wash a lot. In space however, he is very strong and athletic.
A down game for Jerod Mayo who struggled to get off blocks and could possibly seem a step slower than I remember him. He’s never been that savvy in coverage and that problem was once again apparent, though covering Jamaal Charles is no easy task.
Easley saw his first extended action of the year, including time at defensive end, a spot where I don’t think he’s a great fit. Still he was solid and showed ability to set the edge. His pass rush started to show signs of life in this one, including the play below where he was partially responsible for getting Alex Smith out of the pocket. This is so critical for this defense and exactly why Easley was brought in.
Bunch formations really gave the Pats a hard time. They showed poor anticipation to defeat them until Jamie Collins got in there on one in the third quarter.
The Pats similarly had no answer for Travis Kelce, which, after practicing against Gronk, seems a little strange.
I think this defense is set to elevate their game in a major way. It really comes down to fundamentals – wrapping and tackling, getting off blocks and playing within the system without trying to do too much.
If they do those things, look out.