New England Patriots Display a Bend Don't Break Defense Against the Chargers

Throughout last season and the beginning of this season, you always knew what you were going to get from the Patriots offense, efficient movement of the ball through mainly the air but also the ground and a lot of points on the scoreboard. However, the defense was never a certainty. The defense certainly has its fair share of talent and is very well coached, but it is not the same dominant defense of the first three Super Bowls. That is not to say it cannot reach that point eventually. For now however, we are watching a defense capable of pitching a shutout but equally likely to let up as many points as their prolific offensive counterpart.

The story of the defense today was bend, but don't break. Statistically speaking, the Patriots defense did not play well. They allowed the Chargers offense to march all over them for 470 total yards, with 372 of those yards coming through the air. But that is the beauty of defense, statistically you can play terribly and still come away with a victory. The most important stats for the defense are the Chargers red zone conversion rate(2-for-4) and the turnovers forced (four). The Chargers were able to run up and down the field on the Patriots defense at times, but when it really mattered in the red zone, the Pats defense rose to the occasion and stopped them on four straight downs one time and intercepted a pass during another red zone stand.

If the Patriots don't keep the Chargers from scoring on those two red zone trips, then the game theoretically could have been tied. And not to mention the three other turnovers that stopped drives by the Chargers and in the case of two of the turnovers, led to scores by the Patriots.

At the end of the day, although the Patriots defense did not by any means dominate and on paper did not do too well, they made plays when they needed to and were able to do what it took to get the win. Sure, there are many things that they still need to work on, such as defending the check-down to the back out of the backfield which was open all day for Phillip Rivers and the pass rush. But those, among other aspects needing improvement, are fixable and I am confident that with Bill Belichick helping coach the defense, they will be fixed. The clutch plays that the defense had throughout the game, from turnovers to red-zone stops, however, are not teachable, they come down to the defenses ability and heart. And today, New England's defense showed that they had the ability and heart necessary to make the big plays and win the game. Sure, at times they bent like a paper clip, but at the end of the day, they didn't break and as a result, the Patriots are 2-0.