When you look at their schedule — and again, I think that the Jets are an absolute total wild card — but when you look at the Patriots’ schedule coming up, you certainly think that if you have to miss Talib, you’re probably missing him at the right time,” King said. “Because you figure that you can put some pressure on young quarterbacks like Geno Smith and like Ryan Tannehill next week, and quarterbacks that really have been inconsistent. … “And I guess when I look at the Patriots right now, especially on defense, I think what has really helped them tremendously is that they’re getting pressure up front. … I think they’re playing so well in getting pressure compared to maybe past years that I wouldn’t worry about it as much. I worry about it against [Ben] Roethlisberger, but I wouldn’t really worry about it in the next couple of weeks as much as I would worry about it against [Drew] Brees, Roethlisbeger and those guys.”
Personally I think it’s just been better coverage, especially the physicality at the line. The pressure has been inconsistent, and MMQB’s rankings have the Pats at 25th in the NFL. That just might be the best pass rush metric out there.