As you can see above the games where Spikes was used most was against heavy running teams (or teams that were attempting to be run heavy against us as was the case in Cleveland).

Though he showed some great signs of improvement and is currently number two behind Jerod Mayo in tackles he’s seen less playtime as of the last four games. Against the Jets he only played 23 snaps yet recorded 7 tackles. That’s impressive. What it shows is that Spikes comes in when teams are going to run, and almost 33% of the time against the Jets he was in on the tackle.

The good news? The Patriots four remaining opponents are ranked 22nd, 23rd, 17th and 18th respectively in rushing offense. Of course stopping the run is always one of the first and most important things for a defense, but with this upcoming slate of opponents it looks like the effect of losing Spikes can be minimized to an extent.