By pretty much any objective statistical measure, the New England Patriots defense in 2021 was kicking ass and taking names, until the point where they, um, didn’t in the playoffs.
New England’s D ended the season ranked fourth in both of Football Outsiders’ DVOA and Weighted DVOA metrics, with the squad surprisingly ranked third in Passing Defense DVOA and a respectable ninth against the run. If old-school stats are more your bag, the Pats finished second in the entire league in points allowed, allowed the league’s second-fewest passing yards per game at a mere 187.