RandyMossIsBoss Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 @bucsfan333 posted tweet comparing Pats D with other great Ds, which got me interested in taking a deeper look. Points allowed don't include opponent's defensive or ST TDs Opponent record is the combined record of their 1st 7 opponents through week 7 (conveniently, all teams looked at had their bye post week 7), not including games against the team being looked at. In parenthesis to each stat is the percentage difference compared to the league average of that stat (not inc team in question) through 7 weeks. Why? Well TOs and sacks have steadily decreased while yards and points have steadily increased. Even year to year we occasionally see spikes due to rule changes and such. The Pats 22 takeaways in 2019 are far more impressive than the Bears 24 in 1985 when you look at how much the league was turning the ball over back then vs today. 2019 Patriots 27 points allowed (-81.4%) 1,562 yards allowed (-33.6%) 22 takeaways (+138.6%) 26 sacks (+72.2%) Opp Record: 12-25 (.324 win rate) 2002 Bucs 62 points allowed (-53.4%) 1,773 yards allowed (-16.8%) 15 takeaways (+28.2%) 21 sacks (+40.9%) Opp Record: 19-19 (.500 win rate) 2000 Ravens 75 points allowed (-40.3%) 1,820 yards allowed (-11.9%) 22 takeaways (+94.7%) 14 sacks (-15.2%) Opp Record: 17-22 (.436 win rate) 1985 Bears 98 points allowed (-31.3%) 2,209 yards allowed (-3.9%) 24 takeaways (+44.6%) 28 sacks (+34.6%) Opp Record: 17-25 (.405 win rate) 1977 Falcons 39 points allowed (-66.4%) 1,704 yards allowed (-15.6%) 23 takeaways (+35.3%) 25 sacks (+49.7%) Opp Record: 19-23 (.452 win rate) Since 86, as far back as DVOA goes, the Patriots defensive DVOA of -49.7% through 7 is the best on record. It is trailed by the 91 Saints, 91 Eagles, 02 Bucs (-38.8%) and 2015 Broncos. https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2019/week-7-dvoa-ratings Now it should be noted that the 2000 Ravens, 2002 Bucs and 1985 Bears defenses all actually got better down the stretch. Their defensive numbers from their final 9 games are superior to their numbers from these first 7. Still, it's not even remotely close from a numbers standpoint how much this Pats D is dominating the NFL through 7 weeks. To me, it's to a degree that is easily enough to make up for the weaker schedule compared to these other legendary Ds. These aren't necessarily the best starts through week 7 BTW, just stacking up the Pats through 7 with 4 all time great Ds. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny/Patrick Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 The 49ers Defense is allowing 10.7 PPG and are ranked 2nd..... Patriots are at 6.9...giggity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucsfan333 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 27 points allowed is ******* insane. Doesn't matter who you play. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucsfan333 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Also. Our defense gave up 63 points. One of the two defensive TDs we allowed occured in OT, so there was no XP. And the Ravens gave up a pick six in each game against the Titans. So their total is 14 points less. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucsfan333 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Also also. I'd actually considered doing this after looking up the Bucs and Ravens. The only other team I would've added to your list was the 2013 Seahawks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearerofnews Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 30 minutes ago, Manny/Patrick said: The 49ers Defense is allowing 10.7 PPG and are ranked 2nd..... Patriots are at 6.9...giggity I remember people on here scoffed at me when i said 49ers would be a top 2 scoring defense. Alot of my predictions are coming true. Go figure. Except the important one. My team being good. 😂😂. That 77 Falcons defense was underrated. The gritz blitz. Ahh 77, what a great year indeed. But yeah this Patriots defense is amazing. I dont really see any offense exposing them. Unless Mahomes comes back. Cowboys and Eagles can be shutdown by inferior defenses. If Browns have a good gameplan, they probably can. Ravens vs Pats should be great. Ravens never backdown from the Pats and Lamar proving to be a different beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyMossIsBoss Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 1 hour ago, bucsfan333 said: Also. Our defense gave up 63 points. One of the two defensive TDs we allowed occured in OT, so there was no XP. And the Ravens gave up a pick six in each game against the Titans. So their total is 14 points less. Duly noted. Could be some other XPs left on the board too since I just subtracted 7 for opponent return TDs. Those Titans games were in week 8 and week 11. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyMossIsBoss Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Bearerofnews said: I remember people on here scoffed at me when i said 49ers would be a top 2 scoring defense. Alot of my predictions are coming true. Go figure. Except the important one. My team being good. 😂😂. That 77 Falcons defense was underrated. The gritz blitz. Ahh 77, what a great year indeed. But yeah this Patriots defense is amazing. I dont really see any offense exposing them. Unless Mahomes comes back. Cowboys and Eagles can be shutdown by inferior defenses. If Browns have a good gameplan, they probably can. Ravens vs Pats should be great. Ravens never backdown from the Pats and Lamar proving to be a different beast. That stretch of @ Ravens, @ Eagles, Cowboys, @ Texans, Chiefs will determine just how far up this D climbs on all time lists. Chiefs, who will hopefully have 100% Mahomes, will be the ultimate test. The thing is though, Lamar, Watson, Mahomes are all young, Dak and Wentz can't really use youth as crutch but certainly are not vets either, and this Pats D with their complex looks could really be trouble for the less experienced QBs (as opposed to guys like Brees, Rodgers, Wilson). Although Big Ben had absolutely no answer when he faced them either so might be a moot point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TecmoSuperJoe Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Don't forget the 1976 Steelers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter2_1 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) Nah, doesn't count dude. Aint played anyone yet. In all seriousness, I am still reserving ultimate judgement for the end of the season. If we make Mahomes and Watson and Wentz' lives hell, then I'll be in awe. We are doing what you'd expect elite defenses to do; completely wreck mediocre offenses. There doesn't appear to be a weakness either. The D line is heavily rotated and can always rush the passer, the linebackers are versatile and good in coverage/rushing/tackling, the secondary is incredible and deep. It's a masterclass in each unit benefiting the other. Our LBs wouldn't look as good without that secondary behind them, for example Edited October 23, 2019 by Hunter2_1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJ Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I appreciate deep dives like this. Great job @RandyMossIsBoss pulling this together. The Pats D has been on a different level this year, playing bad teams or not. The NFC may have the bulk of the good teams, but the AFC still has the one team that matters. These Patriots are one of Belichick's best. Someone actually said to me last week that they didn't think the Patriots Defense was very good. They were serious. I just dropped the conversation altogether. It reminded me of those old SportsCenter commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VigilantZombie Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) They've played 1 team with a winning record, Buffalo. So no one ACTUALLY knows if this is an elite defense or if the offenses they're playing have been that bad. Considering how the Steelers, Jets, Redskins have all played against NE, with all due respect to NE, the offenses are that bad. Having said that, the Buffalo game at least suggests it's a very good defense but then Buffalo doesnt have a great offense either, they have a good defense too Edited October 23, 2019 by wwhickok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP3MVP Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I remember the dark days of the early 10’s Patriots secondaries when complete bums would throw for 300 and 400 yards against this defense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinSting Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 7 hours ago, RandyMossIsBoss said: Now it should be noted that the 2000 Ravens, 2002 Bucs and 1985 Bears defenses all actually got better down the stretch. Except Week 13 of 1985, when the undefeated Bears flew down to Miami for a Monday night game where Marino and company erupted for 38 pts on them. What a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKillerNacho Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Is the defensive stats inflated by their cupcake schedule? Yes. Is it an elite defense nevertheless? Yes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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