No rush to judgment on Patriots’ struggling run defense – WEEI | Christopher Price

It’s important to remember that the defensive stat that the Patriots crave above all else is points per game allowed, and in that regard – and when stacked against the Super Bowl winners of the last 10 seasons – the Patriots look good. Through 12 games, they’ve allowed 20.9 points per game, good for ninth in the league. Not great, but good enough, especially when you consider the final stats of the last 10 Super Bowl winners. That 20.9 per game average would rank sixth on a list of the last 10 champions, ahead of teams like the 2012 Ravens (21.5), 2007 Giants (21.9) and 2011 Giants (25.0).

I get a lot of “can the Pats win the Super Bowl with this team” questions and there are plenty of articles like this one that will make you believe it’s possible. But really it comes down to three unique games, the elements of which cannot be predicted beforehand. The Pats that won Super Bowls always seemed to get the bounces and the calls in the playoffs. The Pats that didn’t win Super Bowls didn’t get either, at least in crunch time of the Super Bowl. 

Will this team have that magic? Impossible to say. But it’s hard not to like this team given all they’ve endured. They’ll be a tough out in the playoffs no matter what.