The dust has settled on Super Bowl 52. Unfortunately for the New England Patriots offense, a record-breaking performance will be overshadowed by a truly horrendous defensive effort. In a sense, albeit depressing, it was a fitting way to bookend a 2017 season that opened with the Patriots’ defense getting torched by Kansas City.
Although the defense seemed to improve as the year progressed, unsustainable red zone performance was propping up a vulnerable roster. By the end of the season, the linebacker/edge depth chart looked more like the starting lineup of a fourth preseason game than a Super Bowl.