It’s still early, but the New England Patriots’ defense is starting to look like one of the best in NFL history.
And the numbers back it up.
With their 33-7 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday, the Patriots have allowed their opponents to score 6.8 points per game through five weeks. So, how does that stack up against some of the best defenses in NFL history?
Check out this stat from NFL Research:
How good is the @Patriots defense?
1985 Bears – 12.4 PPG Allowed
2000 Ravens – 10.3 PPG Allowed2019 Patriots – 6.8 PPG Allowed
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) October 6, 2019
Of course, the performance of the Patriots’ defense needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Luke Falk, Josh Allen and Colt McCoy aren’t exactly a murderers’ row of quarterbacks.
Still, use your eyes. This Patriots defense is outrageously good.
Here’s another crazy stat:
The @Patriots pass defense has been umm, good in 2019. pic.twitter.com/eUOMVugLgc
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 7, 2019
Whether Bill Belichick’s group — otherwise known as “The Boogeymen” — can keep this up remains to be seen. The schedule gets considerably tougher in the second half of the season, including matchups with the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, among others.
If the Patriots’ defense maintains this level of performance through the remainder of the regular season, it’ll deserve to be recognized as one of best defenses the game ever has seen.
