FOXBORO — In the past, one way the Patriots have been able to make up for defenses that tended to bend a lot was to produce a timely turnover to stop an opposing team’s momentum.
Many of their championship teams had that knack for landing a key interception, or a pivotal strip sack and fumble recovery to turn the tide. Look no further than Super Bowl LI earlier this year as the best example of a Patriots defense that was able to come up with the big play when needed.
Dont’a Hightower’s strip sack of the Falcons’ Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter was one of the game-changing plays made by the defense during that historic comeback win from 25 points down.