FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — For each of the past two seasons, the identity of the Patriots defense didn’t become clear until late in the year.
Both times the group had stumbles early, followed by steady improvement. Those leaps were aided at least in part by the increased contributions of newcomers or role players that previously had much smaller roles.
That pattern is holding true in 2018 as the Patriots prepare for back-to-back road games at Miami and Pittsburgh that will go a long way in determining their playoff seeding.
Earlier this season, New England’s opponents took advantage of a defense that struggled to get pressure up front and that was susceptible to giving up big plays in the secondary.