Jan. 10—The stats, at least the stats Bill Belichick says really matter, exhibited the New England Patriots defense stepped up in 2021, just being edged out, at the bitter end, for the fewest points allowed championship.
The Patriots allowed 17.8 points per game, just behind the Bills at 17.0.
And we all know about Belichick's affinity for points. Basically he says, stats are for losers, and points scored and points allowed in the end count more than quarterback rating, sacks and all the other matrices.
But then 2021 happened.