New England Patriots Defense Sucks Big Time, Do Not Panic Until Week 7

Patriot fans watched in disgust as the Bills ran up 23 points (I am not going to hold C.J. Spillers TD return against them) on the youthful and clearly immature Patriot Defense.  Go ahead analyze it, break it down, yell and scream that they suck because they do.   However, do not forget one thing, this is a defense in progress.

Mislead by the excitement from week 1's bashing of the Bengals gave most people the false sense of hope that the Defense would be better than okay, despite a weak second half.  Week 2 came along, and of all teams the Jets Stomped the Patriots 28-14.  Is the defense entirely to blame for this game? No not entirely. When Tom Terrific threw 2 interceptions and had a fumble in the second half, a youthful Patriots defense is going to look sloppy.  This week came along and only magnified their problems despite a win. 

Here is the thing- The Patriot offense is designed to carry the team.  With a bevy of weapons to go to, this offense can really do it all:  It has a solid running core to eat up time, the scariest 1,2 wide receiver core in Moss and Welker, great group of Tight Ends, an O-line that has only given up 2 sacks.  And hopefully (and it is a big hopefully) this offense can carry this defense until it finds a true identity.  It will truly be put to the test as it goes up against some great defenses.

So why week 7? Well first of all New England cannot make the fixes by the end of the bye week and they will be going up against some very potent Offenses.  Week 4 has the Pats up against a solid Miami D and an exciting offense which looks more and more like a Patriots O every day.  Week 5 a well needed (almost too early) bye for Bill Belichick to work with the chemistry of the secondary.  Week 6 Baltimore with the likes of Anquan Boldin, TJ Whosyourmama, Ray Rice (quiet thus far), and a future MVP candidate in Joe Flacco.  The New England Defense will truly be put to the test

Which Brings the Patriots to Week 7: The San Diego Chargers. If the Patriots D cannot manage to look cohesive and more mature by then the season will be lost.  The Patriots could already be 2-3 before this game and it will be a shoot out loss if the D has not matured.  No more over playing the ball, solid tackling and the list goes on.   The Patriots offense is talented, great and diverse in options, but they cannot be the singular reason for success by the second half of the season.