New England Patriots: Is Defense Only Improving Because of Lesser Competition?

When is it safe to finally say the Patriots defense is getting better?

That has been the burning question over the past two weeks, and it continued this week with a stifling performance of a fledgling offense in the Kansas City Chiefs.

We knew Tyler Palko wasn't very good, but his three interceptions were just ghastly. Although one was a tipped ball off a crushing blows from Sterling Moore and Rob Ninkovich, the other two picks were just awful decisions on his part.

The defensive improvements began awhile ago, before the competition started getting softer.

Yards Per Play

Some will tell you that the defense has improved considerably over the past few weeks. The stats suggest this defensive improvement has been occurring before our eyes over a much longer span.

The total yards may not be good, but the yards per play has improved.

They were downright ugly for a period of time at the beginning of the season, but since the first Jets game, the defense has improved on the whole and now allows 1.39 yards per play less than they were in the first five games of the season.

Third Down Defense

Likewise, the third down defense has improved as well.

These two stats combined give fans a pretty good feeling about where this defense is headed. If the Patriots can continue to improve in both categories, as they've already improved over the course of the season, they can become a competent defense, which is more than we thought we'd say about this defense at any point in the season.

The most important stat in the book, though, is points. Despite ranking dead last in total defense, the Patriots rank 10th in scoring defense. Bill Belichick's defenses have always ranked higher in scoring defense (203 points) than in total defense (4,043 yards), but the variance is striking.

Red Zone Defense

The Patriots give up the length of the field but make the stops in the red zone.

The Patriots haven't been one of the best red zone defenses in the league (the Patriots rank 16th), but it has been imperative in the Patriots winning games.

The fact that they've buckled down when they've needed to over the course of the season has allowed the offense to find its stride over the course of the game. If you thought you'd say that about the Patriots defense at any point in the season, you deserve a medal or some kind of certification as a psychic.

Pass Rush 

Through the first five games, the Patriots had 10 sacks. In the five games since then, they've had 15. The improvement is incredible.

Defensive ends Andre Carter and Mark Anderson have been revelations off the edge, and the two have combined for 12 of the team's 15 sacks over the past five weeks.

Carter said earlier in the season that they were just a second too late, and it looks like they kicked it up a notch to finally start getting home with the pass rush.

This was one of the big problems with the defense just a few weeks ago, but they have taken huge steps in the right direction.

Of course, it doesn't come without the caveat that they've faced inferior competition, but I can't refrain enough that the Patriots were getting dominated by the likes of Chad Henne and Mark Sanchez at the beginning of the year. 

The fact that the pass rush is finally getting home means that the secondary's job will get a bit easier. 

Remaining Opponents

The Patriots offensive competition going forward won't be as capable of testing the porous pass defense as the ones they faced previously, which were mostly pretty good (except for the Dolphins and Jets).

The turnaround started, however, with a solid defensive performance against one of this season's best quarterbacks, Eli Manning. Of course, it ended with the Giants marching down the field for a touchdown, but the signs of growth were there.

The Patriots have carried that over into their performances against the Jets and Chiefs. Those offenses are certainly two of the worse in the league, ranking 22nd and 26th in scoring respectively. The question is whether the unit can improve by dominating inferior opponents, or if they need to get it done against the top competition.

What better way to get right with communication and execution—two crucial components of a solid defense—than to get the job done against inferior opponents? Not to take anything away from those opponents, but it's good practice to get it done against an opponent they don't see in practice every week.

All that being said, the Patriots defense looked primed for the playoffs last season despite dominating some less-than-talented offenses in the final four or five weeks of the season. This season's final six-game slate isn't much different.

They only face two offenses that could even be remotely considered talented units in terms of scoring—the Eagles and the Bills.

One fair point to make, though, is that other than the Dolphins, Bills, Steelers and Giants, the defense has held every offense they've faced below their scoring average for the season. If they can do that against their remaining opponents, the offense could continue to struggle mightily and the Patriots might still win every game from now to the end of the regular season.

Conclusion

Defensive improvements have been noticeable across the board, yet they aren't getting the attention they deserve. In fact, the defense has been less of a weak link lately than the offense has been, and that's been the case for some time now.

The reason they haven't been getting recognition for their defensive improvements has largely been the competition they've faced. Still, they've performed admirably even when it hasn't appeared so.

Overall, their worst performance of the season came against the Steelers,and, more than anything else, that was due to a gross advantage for Pittsburgh in time of possession, a battle they won by a nearly two-to-one ratio.

As the unknown and undrafted players get more playing time due to injury, the lesser competition will be welcome to allow this unit to cut their teeth, build their confidence and strengthen their communication.

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