The Patriots defense pitched their first shutout since 2012 in Week 17. Before that you have to go all the way back to the snow blowout of the Titans in 2009. So there was plenty to like from this performance, especially against a revamped Houston offense that is not without their fair share of threats.
The biggest schematic adjustment this week came in the form of a shift toward more Cover-2, which put Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon over the top on both sides of the field. This took away the deep passing game that was so vital to the Texans in their first two games.
The Pats primarily played out of a three-safety set because of this, putting more pressure on the front six to stop the run, but they did just that.
The result was pretty much a start-to-finish domination that laid to rest some of the uneasiness we felt after the Pats were torched in the second halves of their first two games.
Here’s what else stood out from the defensive film review…
— The three-safety grouping was the primary package, but Cyrus Jones did play 33 snaps as the star (slot corner).
— The gameplan, given the deep threats, made sense to use more two deep safeties. The other thing that Pats did a little more in this one was play more off coverage. There were some zone looks mixed in as well.
— Looks like Vincent Valentine is really progressing through three games. Early in the preseason you could see his size and power but he was often easily turned and pushed down the line. Now Valentine is attacking his blocker, controlling then shedding, giving the Pats a third defensive tackle who can control blockers. Valentine’s hustle was also apparent. I was so totally wrong on my negative evaluations of him this summer. I also thought it was interesting that Valentine first rotated in for Malcom Brown, playing over the right guard, instead of Alan Branch who plays more on the left side. All three players balled out in this game.
— Still waiting for Shea McClellin to impress me. He got off a couple blocks early in this one, but was generally ineffective overall. That’s the biggest difference you see from guys like Collins and Sheard to guys like McClellin and Freeny. They don’t get off their blocks and they have limited impact when filling their run lanes. They’re still technically pretty sound, they just don’t win battles like Collins, Sheard, Hightower do.
— Jabaal Sheard’s power was on display all game. Most of the time he had his tackle on roller skates. Nice bounceback effort by Sheard who I thought was flat against the Dolphins.
— Trey Flowers really stood out on this play where he fought through a double team and still managed to collapse the hole and help make the play. Sub run defense was a huge part of this game and the six-man fronts did a fantastic job. Most defensive ends can’t hold their ground like this against two blockers. Flowers continues to show up.
— Pats were in a two-deep zone defense on Jamie Collins’ interception. Osweiler never saw him. And that’s why it’s good to mix-and-match coverages from time to time. In man-to-man, Collins would never have been that deep, he’d either be spying the running back or rushing the QB.
— Maybe the defensive play of the game came on third-and-2 right at the two-minute warning before the first half. If the Texans convert, there’s a good chance they put points on the board before the half and make the game a little more interesting. It’s all Malcom Brown, who blasts the center back and quickly slides down the line to make the tackle. Collins is there to make sure no garbage yards are made.
— This fourth down play early in the fourth quarter was almost a carbon copy of the Super Bowl 49 winning interception Butler made. This time the offense motioned into the stack release, but as soon as Butler sees it, he takes off, just like he did in Phoenix. Buy a Malcom Go! shirt to commemorate it!
Overall is was an outstanding performance by the defense. Everything was working. The tackling was excellent. And anything the Texans got was quickly minimized and shutdown. To think what they’ll look like once Nikovich and Hightower get back is exciting, but on the back end we’re seeing the advantage that comes with having your entire secondary completely intact from last season. There were few, if any, breakdowns.
Hopefully the film continues to look like this, it makes my reviews so much more enjoyable!
[…] Looking back at the first matchup, the defense signalled their first move to significant snaps in Cover-2 zone, a coverage they […]