Let’s dive into the All-22 to take a look at the Patriots defensive performance against the 49ers on Sunday.
— The Patriots started the game with a three-and-out, sending Patrick Chung on a blitz both on second and third down, with him picking up the punt-forcing sack on the third down. Little bit of extra aggression (sent five) early on was nice to see.
— On the second series, the 49ers picked up a first down on third-and-nine that sparked a scoring drive. Old friend Chris Harper, he of 2015’s Harper’s Muff, lost Malcolm Butler out of a bunch set and went for 19 yards. Appeared to be some kind of miscommunication by the trio of cornerbacks, or it might’ve been on Hightower who vacated the flat to cover the tight end even though McCourty already had him.
— Seemed like a conscious effort to attack the defensive left side of the offensive line, with the three down lineman (Flowers-Branch-Brown) shaded to that side. All three were effective in holding their ground against the run here on the second drive.
— 3rd-and-8, 49ers get 26 with a pass to RB Draughn with Hightower in coverage. Problem was again out of a bunch set where Hightower applied a jam but it occupied him long enough for Draughn get get wide open downfield.
— One interesting development this season has been the extensive use of Devin McCourty in the box. Puts another spin on re-signing Duron Harmon this offseason. If Harmon walks, McCourty won’t have as much flexibility.
— Pats made a goal-line stand to force the field goal (Bend-Don’t-Break yo), and Vincent Valentine’s first down run stuff was a big reason why.
— The third down stop came from wrecking ball Dont’a Hightower who went right through the running back and finished Colin Kaepernick. Big play for a defense that badly needed them coming into this game. They had some hiccups on this second drive, particularly against bunch sets and losing contain on the left edge a couple times, but overall they were making some big plays that had been absent lately.
— Watching the game live I thought Shea McClellin might be stepping up but so far I can’t say he showed much more than we’re used to. He’s okay at setting the edge, mostly on the defensive right. But getting off blocks, blowing guys up, that sort of stuff has just never popped up. He moves okay in space but we’re still waiting for any kind of a wow play out of him.
— Third-and-eight on the third drive, Van Noy gets the sack and the Pats get off the field. Three elements here to mention — McClellin dropping out to cover the running back took away the check down, Chris Long getting good penetration that broke the pocket and Van Noy’s patience and strength beating the right tackle to finish Kaepernick off. We just haven’t been seeing this kind of coordination on third down and it was nice to see.
— Okay, now the long touchdown drive. Let’s see what went wrong. Here’s a start, the yardage totals on each play — 7, 7, 6, 12, 17, 19, 1, Defensive Holding, 18-yard TD. So yeah, there’s still work to be done. Though not a shock to learn Hightower was off the field for the majority of this drive. McCourty got beat in man on the touchdown, getting tossed out of the break and couldn’t make up the ground or make the tackle.
— Elandon Roberts has fallen back to earth, just isn’t making the same kind of impact plays he was making in a part time role before Collins was shipped out of town. The use of McClellin and Van Noy in some coverage linebacker spots shows they’re still tinkering with this all. But it would appear Roberts should remain a two-down run stopper, which is a necessary role and one they lacked last season.
— The 49ers put the ball on the ground so many times, how did the Pats not get a single one of them?
Overall, despite a few hiccups, this was one of the better defensive performances of the season. Not quite Houston good, but I liked the enhanced disruption that was going on up front and they went back to a majority of man coverage which was effective. Even their zone defense was better dispersed and more disciplined.
Again, this was a one-win team, but you can only play who’s on your schedule. So if it took a cupcake game to spark this defense on to the road to respectability so be it.
Things to watch going forward — an expanded role for Kyle Van Noy, perhaps at the expense of Shea McClellin. Increased snaps for Vincent Valentine, who has shown steady improvement. And more usage of Chung and McCourty on blitzes.
