The secondary has been the strength of the team, and it’s had to be. Even when opponents are making an effort to try to run, if the Patriots stop their initial surge like they did against the Colts and Broncos, that’s when things often start playing right into their hands. If you’re an offense with a DNA that wants to spread things out and throw the football, that’s going up against the strength of the Patriots. So if you can run it, that’s the ideal place to start and the Jets were the exception in that they ran at the Patriots over four quarters.
The Dolphins did it in Week 1, but that was a totally different team and I think Bill Belichick was still in the experimental phase. So I’d say, from a big-picture standpoint, that as long as they’re able to stop the run early and discourage the opponent in that area, it’s going to be a good day for the Patriots. They’re chameleon-like on defense, with the ability to morph into anything — they have a lot of athletes and can go athletic and quick, but they’re also very tough.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-secondary-has-been-the-strength-of-the-team/
