New England Patriots: How the NFL's Worst Defense Is Actually 'Doing Their Jobs'

The thought of the final drive in Super Bowl XLII is a horror movie for some, but it is the earliest manifestation of the Patriots defense as we have come to know it: one that can't make stops when it needs to.

For Patriots fans who have dreams of another shot at a Super Bowl championship, the defense has been Freddie Krueger and Alfred Hitchcock rolled into one horrifying flick. So much so that we may begin to refer to the Fairbanks-Bullough defense as the Krueger-Hitchcock defense.

Two things a bend-but-don't-break defense must do is to make stops on third down and in the red zone, and New England just hasn't done either very well to start the season.

After finishing dead last in 2010 with a 47.14 percent third-down conversion rate on defense, the Patriots have started out dead last again in 2011, allowing 48 percent conversions on third downs. 

They rank 22nd in red zone defense, allowing touchdowns on 52.63 percent of trips into the red zone. They are 10-of-19 in the red zone with six passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns allowed. 

Three stops have come on interceptions, two have been a turnover on downs, one was a missed field goal. The Patriots have given up three field goals and 10 touchdowns in the red zone. 

Stats are stats, but the percentages and ratios are scary.

One ratio that should give New Englanders reason for hope, though, is the aptly-named "Bendability Index." Created by Kerry Byrne of Cold, Hard Football Facts as a way to measure the bend-but-don't-break defense, its formula is simple: yards per point scored.

In that regard, the Patriots are one of the top-five defenses in the league. With 1,910 yards allowed and just 98 points allowed on defense, they are forcing opponents to drive 19.49 yards to score one point, or 136.43 yards to score the equivalent of a touchdown. 

New England ranks behind just Tennessee (21.41 yards per point scored) and Baltimore (19.96) on the Bendability Index. The worst defense in bendability is the Dallas Cowboys, and they give up 11.55 yards per point scored.

With their defense forcing opponents into long drives, perhaps the Patriots defense is playing up to that bend-but-don't-break label a bit better than it may seem to the naked eye.

Running the risk of redundancy, the Patriots need to get stops when they need to get stops. The number of stops shouldn't be as much of a concern as their importance. They'll gladly give up third-down conversions on the 30-, 40- and 50-yard lines if they get one on the next set of downs and prevent a field goal. That may leave them with a 75 percent conversion rate, but hey, stats are for losers, right?

Although the Patriots have given up a dreadful conversion rate on third down and in the red zone, and although they have given up the most yards of any defense in the NFL through four games, it doesn't come without a silver lining.

Excuse Patriots fans if they're still waiting to wake up in a cold sweat from the nightmare that has been New England's defense over the first four games of the season.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.