New England Patriots: Why the Pass-Rush Is Key to Postseason Success

After their 31-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots are sitting pretty atop the AFC East with a 9-3 record.

With a two-game lead in the division, the tiebreaker over the second-place New York Jets and the easiest stretch of schedule in the NFL, fans can already taste an eighth postseason appearance in nine seasons, and the forecast for a first-round bye improves by the week.

However, in Patriots Nation there's a feeling that we've been here before.

The consensus best team in the NFL in 2010, New England cruised to a 14-2 record before being dumped from the playoffs at the first hurdle in unceremonious fashion. The Jets were in no mood to play second fiddle that day, executing the perfect defensive game plan, leaving Tom Brady battered and bruised.

Wind the clock back further, back to the 2009 Wild Card round.

Then, the Baltimore Ravens handed the Patriots a lesson in smash-mouth football in their own backyard, racing out to a first-quarter 24-0 lead and never looking back. Their defense dictated terms.

Once again, Brady was harried all day, dazed, confused and sore.

So if fans are a little weary of the 2011 edition's recent success, you should forgive them.

But first—the good news. New England continues to put up a lot of points.

Tom Brady operates one of the elite NFL offenses—along with Green Bay and New Orleans—and Rob Gronkowski is emerging as the league's best all-purpose tight ends and a nightmare for defenses in the red zone.

Throw in one of the best supporting casts around in Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch, and you have a near-complete offensive armory.

Sure, the running game could use a spark—just 73 yards at a 3.0 average against the 31st-ranked Colts is disappointing—but with Brady in a groove, it is by no means the team's top concern.

A bigger problem looms on the horizon. What happens if the offense has an off day?

My colleagues at Bleacher Report have voiced their concerns on the issue, and the prevailing view seems clear—if the offense fails in the playoffs, so do the Patriots.

In recent weeks, we have seen Vince Young and Dan Orlovsky throw for a combined 753 yards on this New England secondary. Chad Henne put up 400 in Week 1, too.

It comes as no surprise—the roster turnover at cornerback and safety has been staggering, and a combination of injuries and poor play have robbed the Patriots of any continuity.

The "bend but don't break" philosophy takes on a more literal meaning on this defense than ever before. As a unit, they continue to find a way to limit the opposition to field goals after allowing 70 yards of soft coverage and missed tackles.

After 12 games, what we see from the secondary now is probably what we'll get in the playoffs. The best we can hope for is an injury-free month, allowing the unit some consistent reps and a boost in confidence.

So if we can't expect Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung to stop Ben Roethlisberger—or Aaron Rodgers, if we are to think wishfully—in the playoffs, where else can the Patriots improve?

Look no further than the pass-rush. 

Andre Carter and Mark Anderson have shown flashes of potential on the edges recently, after a slow start in which we saw no meaningful pressure on opposing quarterbacks until the Week 6 visit of the Dallas Cowboys.

Since then, the team has registered 19 sacks in seven games—not elite totals by any means, but evidence of progress.

If you need any proof of the importance of the rush, let me ask you a couple of questions.

In the defeats to the Bills and the Giants this season, how many sacks did the Patriots register on Ryan Fitzpatrick and Eli Manning combined?

Second, in the last two playoff defeats in 2009 and 2010, how many sacks did the Patriots rack up on Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez?

If your answer to either question is greater than zero, you overdid it.

There are exceptions to the rule, of course—the Patriots dropped Ben Roethlisberger five times in Week 8 in Pittsburgh, yet still managed to get sliced open at will by the Steelers' passing game.

In the 2009 playoff defeat to the Ravens, Flacco wasn't touched by the Patriots' rush because he didn't need to pass the ball: Ray Rice had killed the contest inside the first 15 minutes.

What's more, a strong pass-rush doesn't seal a trip to Indianapolis in February on its own. Winning the turnover battle is crucial. Keeping Brady upright is, too. And a few plays in the secondary wouldn't hurt.

Nor is it a coincidental statistic. The last two teams to reach the Super Bowl—Pittsburgh and Green Bay—led the league in sacks in 2010.

Both teams covered well in the secondary, too, but it's much easier to make a play from the cornerback position if the quarterback throwing the ball is hurried or forced into mistakes.

And if there is one area on defense that could realistically improve between here and the playoffs, it's edge-rushing. We've had a teaser of their potential. Now it is time to deliver.

Brady might yet carry this team all the way to the Super Bowl. But he'd sure appreciate some help.

Step forward, Carter and Anderson.