New England Patriots Defense Improving, Can They Keep It Up?

With the New England Patriots defense falling under fire, Bill Belichick's boys have churned out two gritty wins on the strength of his signature bend-but-don't-break style of defense.

The Patriots defense held the Cowboys to 4-of-12 on third down and 1-of-3 in the red zone. Most importantly, they held a Cowboys offense, which had been scoring almost 25 points per game, to just 16. 

Make no mistake—the performance wasn't without its flaws. The unit struggled to wrap up, and that was the first thing Belichick brought up when asked what he learned about his team. A few key missed tackles gave the Cowboys opportunities to score. Still, they stepped up when it mattered.

"We made some stops in the red area," said Belichick. "I mean, we've been doing that; over the course of the year, we've been fairly good in the red area. Our third-down defense was okay. We played competitively. We're getting a little better each week."

That last sentence is key. They have improved greatly since losing to the Bills. Since then, they have had some impressive performances:

• They held the eighth-ranked scoring offense (Oakland Raiders) to just 19 points. Darren McFadden was largely a non-factor.
• They forced seven three-and-outs against the New York Jets, including four to start the game. Dustin Keller was a non-factor, as was the Jets' running game.
• They held the Cowboys to just 16 points and let up just six points on four turnovers.
• They have generated two turnovers in each of the three games and have held opponents to an average of 18.6 points per game, which would currently rank in the top 10.

Eric Mangini may have said that the Patriots defense was going to get better, but no one else did. It's understandable to be reluctant to shower this defense in a bouquet of flowers, but this defense is doing what it was thought incapable of doing—helping to win games when the offense struggles.

The defense rides this momentum right into the bye, which could be good to help the team get healthy but could also serve as a potential bump in the road for all the momentum this unit has picked up.

Kyle Arrington embraced it as an opportunity to get healthy, saying, "Great feeling [to play well], especially with the bye coming up. We can nurse the bumps and bruises and rest up a bit."

Andre Carter shared those sentiments, adding, "It's always good coming into the bye week with a win...The guys that are nicked up will have some time to rest up and heal, and hopefully the rest of the cavalry can come back to help us out for the next game."

New England always plays well with extra time to prepare for an opponent, and if they can get healthy, that could only work in their benefit.

Ras-I Dowling, Josh Barrett and Sergio Brown were notable defenders absent on Sunday, and though Albert Haynesworth played and made an impact, he could also use some time to lick his wounds. 

The biggest returning name, though, would definitely be Jerod Mayo. The linebacker sprained his MCL in Week 4 against the Raiders, and was already back at practice last week. A little more rest and rehab could go a long way in his status for the tilt two weeks from now. 

And if the Patriots get their defensive captain back off the bye, they'll most definitely be a better unit for it. 

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