It comes down to team defense. You’re going to have to play solid coverage early and take away any quick-striking routes, and hopefully by the time patterns develop and the combinations are forming, you possibly have a rush up the middle. This is where the possibility of not having 6-foot-6, 310-pound defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, who left Sunday’s loss to the Bengals with a knee injury and didn’t return, could hurt them. You want to try to get in Drew Brees’ face this week, or at least get someone with 2-3 yards of penetration and their hands up because Brees is a short player – you see him every week tilting that chin up, with that face mask and helmet at a 45-degree angle to help him get a line of sight over taller defensive linemen that are usually blocking his line of vision. Up-the-middle pocket pressure is something you have to generate. Last week against Chicago, that’s a Bears defense that will take away the big play and make you earn it down the field by completing passes in front of them. That’s somewhat of a philosophy that the Patriots might try to adopt this week.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/it-comes-down-to-team-defense-youre-going-to/
