Coming off a disappointing performance against the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots’ defense had to get back on track quickly if the team wanted to stand any chance against the Arizona Cardinals and their explosive offense. Needless to say that they did: the unit held the Cardinals in check for most of the game, and while not perfect, bounced back nicely from the loss in Houston.
One key reason for that was the team’s play up front, with one defender standing out in particular: fourth-year defensive tackle Adam Butler was a one-man wrecking crew against Arizona and involved in some of the biggest plays of the Patriots’ 20-17 win.