Jamie Collins Emerging as Athletic Playmaker for Patriots Defense

In his postgame interview with NBC's Michele Tafoya, Tom Brady called the New England Patriots' 23-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers a "defensive win." 

A huge part of that defensive effort was the inspired performance by Patriots second-year linebacker Jamie Collins, who had the first multiple-sack game of his career Sunday night, taking Philip Rivers down twice. 

Collins posted the first sack of his career in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers, and against San Diego, he doubled down. He's stacking performances to prove how wise New England's decision to select him in the second round of the 2013 draft really was. 

Collins started eight games in 2013, but has started 11 this season—every game except for the Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, which he sat out with a thigh injury. His value to the Patriots has been obvious this season; as ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss puts it, "Collins is a rare three-down player in the team's system, and also plays on the punt coverage team."

He's also proven himself when the Patriots have needed to call on him as the next man up. In 2013, he filled in for an injured Brandon Spikes. And this year, when Jerod Mayo was lost for the season in Week 6 with a knee injury, Collins and Dont'a Hightower stepped up to emerge as the team's leading linebacking duo.

Steven Senne/Associated Press

"We put a lot of stress on them because they have to make the defensive calls. They’re actually the quarterbacks of the defense," nose tackle Vince Wilfork said prior to the game, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

That pressure grew for Collins Sunday, when it was announced that Hightower would miss the game against San Diego due to the right shoulder injury with which he has been struggling. 

In Hightower's absence, the duty of making the defensive calls shifted to Collins. Though the loss of Hightower's leadership could have been a huge obstacle to this Patriots team, especially given that it was also missing defensive end Chandler Jones, Collins did more than rise to the occasion. 

Though many familiar with New England's defense will have known Collins' name before Sunday night, his two-sack, two-quarterback hit performance and team-high nine total tackles, including three for loss, in prime time have thrust him into the national spotlight. 

Collins' nine total tackles was one less than his 10-tackle performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 9, which was the point at which his season really began to pick up steam. He had an interception against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, but since the Week 10 bye, Collins has really begun to affirm his importance as a key piece on the defense. 

And though Hightower's absence Sunday night resulted in a nice-looking stat sheet for Collins, his play, and the defense's overall play, will look championship-worthy once the two are reunited in the middle. 

"To play the way they’ve been playing so far this year has been unbelievable," Wilfork said, per Howe. Hightower and Collins credit it to their growing chemistry as leaders of this unit. 

On his chemistry with Collins, via Howe, Hightower said:

"

It definitely started last year. We got kind of thrown in the fire with guys going down, but we work really well together. Sometimes, we don’t even have to talk. It’s just I feel and know where Jamie is going to be. In our linebacker room, we try to make it much more like a brotherhood. We fought and claw for the position that we’re in. Now, we’re just trying to be comfortable around one another and make sure everyone is on the right key.

"

For his part, according to Howe, Collins said his chemistry with Hightower is "growing every day." The same could be said of his own potential, which was on full display Sunday night. As Collins' on-field skills continue to develop—his contributions to the run game were almost as notable as those to the pass rush—so too does his locker room leadership. 

That's exactly what a team would expect out of a second-round draft pick. 

The Patriots have a division-heavy remaining schedule, facing the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills to end out the season. If Collins looked this sharp against the Chargers, those teams—none of whom have offenses ranked in the top 15—should give him ample opportunities to pad his stat sheet and build excitement for his upcoming third year.