2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 5-3
Patriots defense
Every snap the Patriots defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good+0.01 EPA a play allowed, 18th of 32, and 0.03 below what the offenses they faced usually manage (12th).
- How they playThey blitz on 39% of dropbacks, the 6th-most in the league, and get pressure on 20%.
- Where offenses find roomThrough the air: +0.08 EPA a dropback, 20th, softest deep left (+0.79 a throw).
- Who hurt themLuther Burden III (CHI): 137 yards and +13.1 EPA on 5 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Packers, whose offense ranks 17th in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | +0.01 | 18th of 32 | 45th | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | +0.08 | 20th of 32 | 39th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.09 | 13th of 32 | 61st | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 44% | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 9% | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| Yards per play | 5.3 | 12th of 32 | 64th | |
| Yards per carry | 3.8 | 11th of 32 | 67th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 38% | 10th of 32 | 70th |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 7.6% | 6th of 32 | 83rd | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 20% | 20th of 32 | 39th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 17% | 11th of 32 | 67th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 1.7% | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 54% | 12th of 32 | 64th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 1.93 | 11th of 32 | 67th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.0 | 25th of 32 | 27th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | -0.03 | 12th of 32 | 64th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Patriots. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 5 of 8 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 2 against the Steelers, 0.38 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average +0.05 a play elsewhere, the 5th-toughest schedule of offenses.
at SEAL 10-13+0.07usual -0.06
vs PITW 20-3-0.36usual +0.02
at JAXL 6-35+0.23usual +0.15
at BUFW 29-26+0.12usual +0.19
vs LVW 45-17-0.02usual +0.03
vs NYJW 26-19-0.04usual +0.05
at CHIL 24-30+0.20usual +0.03
at MIAW 24-19-0.05usual -0.05Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is deep left: +0.79 EPA a throw against a league +0.34. The lockdown zone is behind the line right, -0.50 a throw (league -0.22). Completions against them run 2.8 points over expected, 24th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 3.8 yards a carry against them, 11th of 32. The leak is off left tackle: 4.6 a carry and +0.10 EPA (league 4.6, -0.03).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 17.514th | 152.123rd | +0.4530th-toughest | 21.811th-most27.812th-most33.810th-most |
| Tight ends | 7.920th | 52.414th | +0.047th-toughest | 6.510th-fewest9.210th-fewest11.910th-fewest |
| Backs, receiving | 5.011th | 31.014th | +0.0517th-toughest | 15.18th-fewest17.06th-fewest19.06th-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 15.110th-fewest15.110th-fewest15.110th-fewest |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Burden III | CHI | 5 | 137 | 1 | +13.1 |
| Keon Coleman | BUF | 7 | 116 | 1 | +8.9 |
| Jakobi Meyers | JAX | 8 | 64 | 1 | +8.3 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA | 11 | 122 | 1 | +7.7 |
| Rome Odunze | CHI | 5 | 69 | +6.3 | |
| Kevin Coleman Jr. | MIA | 3 | 46 | 1 | +6.0 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-4-to-6: offenses convert 33% against a league 44%. They are stingiest in the red zone (-0.02 a play, league +0.03) and weakest in games they trail by 9+ (+0.23, league +0.03).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 205 | +0.02 | +0.02 | +0.01 |
| 2nd down | 157 | 0.00 | +0.00 | 0.00 |
| 3rd down | 97 | -0.03 | -0.04 | +0.01 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 26 | 65% | 61% | +5 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 30 | 33% | 44% | −11 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 41 | 24% | 27% | −2 pts |
| Red zone | 67 | -0.02 | +0.03 | -0.05 |
| Two-minute drill | 56 | +0.06 | 0.00 | +0.06 |
| When they lead | 260 | -0.01 | +0.01 | -0.02 |
| One-score game | 311 | +0.02 | -0.01 | +0.02 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 35 | +0.23 | +0.03 | +0.20 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 39% of dropbacks and average 4.6 rushers; 61% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.02 EPA when they blitz and +0.13 when they do not.
They put 6.7 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 14%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 4.0 a carry; into eight or more, 3.0.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 3 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.52 EPA against them on 25% of throws; screens -0.22.
26 defensive penalties for 198 yards, 15 of them first downs, the 23rd-fewest. They miss 8% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 10th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Elijah Ponder leads the pass rush with 14 pressures and 6 sacks on 76% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91Elijah PonderLB | 76% | 14 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 23 | 1 |
| 97Milton WilliamsDT | 68% | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20 | |
| 5Dre'Mont JonesLB | 56% | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 14 | |
| 50Gabe JacasLB | 53% | 6 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 24 | |
| 94Cory DurdenDT | 49% | 3 | 1.5 | 5 | 2 | 19 | |
| 90Christian BarmoreDT | 43% | 6 | 3.5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 99DaQuan JonesDE | 26% | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 92Joshua FarmerDT | 23% | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 93Leonard Taylor IIIDT | 17% | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| 45Quintayvious HutchinsLB | 3% | 1 | 3 |
Christian Elliss plays 97% of the snaps with 58 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53Christian EllissLB | 97% | 58 | 4 | 1.5 | 6 | 31 | 94.0 | 2 |
| 14Robert SpillaneLB | 97% | 47 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 84.4 | 5 | |
| 54Darius MuasauLB | 6% | 14 | 1 | 3 | 90.3 | 1 | ||
| 48Namdi ObiazorLB | 3% | 7 | 1 | 104.2 | ||||
| 49Erick HunterLB | 2% | 10 | 1 | |||||
| 43Jose RamirezLB | 2% | 1 | ||||||
| 35K.J. BrittLB | 0% | 1 |
Christian Gonzalez is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 74.1 passer rating on 27 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31Kevin ByardFS | 97% | 19 | 12 of 19 | 179 | 1 | 90.6 | 1 | 3 |
| 4Craig WoodsonSAF | 81% | 22 | 11 of 22 | 209 | 2 | 90.1 | 1 | 3 |
| 25Marcus JonesCB | 80% | 34 | 21 of 34 | 304 | 3 | 96.6 | 1 | 6 |
| 0Christian GonzalezCB | 73% | 27 | 16 of 27 | 148 | 74.1 | 5 | ||
| 7Carlton Davis IIICB | 48% | 18 | 13 of 18 | 121 | 87.6 | 1 | ||
| 22Charles WoodsCB | 44% | 25 | 15 of 25 | 193 | 1 | 83.0 | 1 | 4 |
| 23Jaylen ReedSAF | 25% | 8 | 6 of 8 | 68 | 1 | 111.0 | 1 | |
| 28Kindle VildorCB | 11% | 7 | 4 of 7 | 59 | 76.4 | 1 | ||
| 33Mike BrownSAF | 8% | 1 | 1 of 1 | 11 | 112.5 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.