The New England Patriots have built a dynasty around Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and they continue to be a difficult opponent for teams to face year after year.
Although the offense has struggled recently, the defense has been a difference-maker for New England this season. Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, whose team comes to Gillette Stadium on Sunday, spoke very highly of that defense, noting that it's a big reason why the Patriots have the AFC's best record at 9-1.
“They’re fantastic on their front, they’re fantastic at the linebacker level, on the back-end, and teams are having a hard time moving the ball,” Garrett said on a conference call Wednesday, according to Boston.com's Matthew Doherty. “Teams are having a hard time in situational football, third down, red zone. They’re having a hard time scoring points."
Above all else, though, there's one thing about the New England defense that stands out to Garrett.
“Obviously, the stat that jumps out to everybody is the takeaways," Garrett said. "They’ve been incredible taking the ball away all year long and making impactful plays for their team, but obviously have got a lot of really good players. They’re really well-coached and they’ve been fantastic, really for a long, long time and have been really good this year, as well.”
And although the Patriots offense has struggled recently, it hasn't prevented New England from sitting atop the AFC.
New England Patriots
“They’re just really, really good, and they’ve been really, really good for – what’s it, 20 years now? So, they’re fantastic," Garrett said. "Obviously, their quarterback, you can make an argument that he’s the best player that ever walked. What he’s done throughout his career, the productivity, his ability to win with a lot of different teams and a lot of different guys in a lot of different ways.
“He’s just been remarkable, and they’re a really good offensive line, they have good tight ends and good receivers, the runners. Everybody’s involved. They challenge you in so many different ways. They can run it, they can throw it. They make little plays, they make big plays. They just challenge you every time the ball is snapped, and it’s been that way for a long, long time.”
The Patriots offense will need to rediscover its early-season rhythm and play extremely well Sunday if they want to beat the Cowboys, particularly if the defense has trouble with the speedy, highly skilled Dallas receivers.
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