October surprise: Five reasons to be excited about the Patriots prospects

The team clearly needs to get its defensive house in order to truly be a legit Super Bowl threat. But at least there is a foundation in place to build upon. And that foundation begins up front. The Patriots right now are No. 11 on our Defensive Hog Index. It’s not an elite defensive front. But it’s getting there, and certainly the unit is MUCH better than it was in 2011, when the Patriots finished the year No. 25 on our Defensive Hog Index. New England stops the run as well as any team in football, surrendering a stingy 3.34 YPA. That’s third best in the NFL. The Patriots boast Vince Wilfork, the rock in the middle, and have surrounded him with a young collection of athletic defenders, including the young all-SEC linebacking corps of Brandon Spikes, who has lit up opponents with big hits this year, 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2010 Pro Bowler Jerod Mayo and rookie Dont’a Hightower. Chandler Jones, meanwhile, was the NFL’s defensive rookie of the month for September and already has 5.0 sacks this year. The Patriots are not a perfect team, folks. But there are certainly plenty of reasons to think this team will be in the mix when it all gets real serious in January.