The New England Patriots offense has been horrendous through the first four weeks of the season, as they've scored the second-fewest points in the league (13 per game) and gained the fewest yards (238.8 per game).
However, as bad as the offense has been, the defense has fallen far short of their expectations.
Prior to the season, many believed New England's secondary, who looked impressive for most of the 2023 season, would be among the best in the league in 2024. So far that hasn't been the case. They've allowed the 15th-most points (21.8 per game) and ninth-most yards (353.3 per game).
Many of the same issues, including allowing quarterbacks to break containment and running backs to get to the edge, have popped up week after week. And, now it's gotten to the point that New England's veterans are starting to speak up.
“Just being honest we got guys— some guys just kinda being kinda selfish," Patriots defensive lineman Davon Godchaux said on WEEI. "I get it. We’re down, guys wanna make plays. I get it, but everybody has to play as 11. And everybody has to sacrifice to do what’s best for the team. I know some guys wanna make plays when we’re down trying to get back in the game. But, we gotta just keep going as a team and play team defense.”
For years, New England lived by Bill Belichick's "Do Your Job" mantra, and that even meant doing the dirty work that might not show up on the stat sheet because it helped the unit accomplish its goals. It doesn't feel like they're doing that right now.
The Patriots' edge rushers are focused on getting to the quarterback and converting a sack to the point that they're either running past them or past a running back who already had a ball given to them. It's going to keep leading to poor performances on defense, and it's unacceptable.
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