Patriots’ latest issue: Giving up big plays on defense
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots embark on their longest trip of the 2023 season when they travel to Frankfurt, Germany, to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network).
They also have a long way to go to dig their way out of a disappointing 2-7 start to the season, and a top area targeted for improvement is a dramatic spike in long-yardage plays allowed by the defense.
“Any time you give up big plays on defense, it’s about the worst thing that can happen,” defensive backs coach Brian Belichick said. “Big plays always hurt.”
The pain has been real for the Patriots’ defense, which surrendered six plays of 20 yards or more to Washington Commanders first-year starting quarterback Sam Howell in last week’s 20-17 loss. That doesn’t account for another play that went for 19 yards as Howell rang up 325 passing yards.
The week before, the Patriots gave up five plays of 20 yards or more in a loss to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who totaled 324 passing yards.
Allowing 11 plays of 20 yards or more over the past two games ties the Patriots for the second most across the NFL over that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“Obviously, we just need to do a better job,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s a combination of things.”
The headline story of the Patriots’ disappointing season has been its sluggish offense — the team ranks 31st while averaging just 15 points per game — but not to be overlooked is its defense, which has suddenly become vulnerable to the big play.
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The Patriots had improved over the past two games in other areas that were primarily holding them back: turnover differential and slow starts. But now the penchant for allowing the big play has contributed to sinking hopes of building momentum following their upset win over the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 29.
That, coupled with a source saying that starting cornerback J.C. Jackson and top reserve Jack Jones missed curfew on Saturday at the team hotel, sparked a shakeup at cornerback with third-year player Shaun Wade replacing Jackson in the starting lineup against the Commanders Sunday.
Belichick said the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Wade has been “consistent taking advantage of his opportunities” and is “trending the right way” the past couple of weeks.
Still, Jackson entered the game late in the first quarter and played 53 snaps overall compared to Wade’s 13. Now Jackson isn’t expected to travel with the team to Germany. Meanwhile, Jones played a season-low 30 defensive snaps after missing curfew and sat on the bench early in the game with a towel over his head while the rest of the defensive players stood along the sideline.
One aspect that could aid the Patriots (2-7) in limiting big plays is that their opponent this week, the Colts (4-5), didn’t produce even one offensive play of 20 yards or more in last Sunday’s 27-13 win over the Carolina Panthers — a result aided by two picks-sixes from cornerback Kenny Moore II. That helped quarterback Gardner Minshew (17-of-26 for 127 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) record his first win since replacing injured rookie Anthony Richardson in Week 6.
Before traveling to Frankfurt, Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo noted that the coaches can do a better job preparing players against big plays because “everyone plays us a little differently. Even though you’re studying past film, the game always kind of starts on a different note.”
Brian Belichick noted the importance of “good communication and execution of the call” and “good fundamentals, including tackling and coverage,” while Pellegrino cautioned against overlooking the Colts’ potential explosiveness.
“It’s going to come down to awareness and making sure that everybody across the board is doing their job. That’s the most important thing when it comes to those big plays,” Pellegrino said. “Rarely, it’s one guy messing up the play. Sometimes it is, but for the most part, there are multiple things wrong on the play when you have 20-plus-yard gains.”