Inside The Playbook

Super Bowl XLVI: Breaking Down the Patriots’ Defense

The last six Super Bowl champions all boasted stout defenses and efficient offenses. It’s no wonder the saying: “defense wins championships” still holds strong. For New England, this season’s defense has been considered the underbelly of a Tom Brady-led, high-powered Patriots’ offense. Here are parts of the Patriots’ defense to watch out for on Super Bowl Sunday.

By: Lily Zhao

Vince Wilfork

The Patriots' defense will face a daunting task against healthy Giants' running backs Brandon Jacobs, D.J. Ware and Ahmad Bradshaw. Ranked 17 in the league in pass rush, the defense has allowed 117 yards per game on the ground. Late-season slip-ups against the Eagles, Redskins and Broncos meant their ground-game ranking slipped. When Andre Carter was lost to a torn quadriceps, Pepper Johnson has been looking for a guy up front to step up and stop the run, and replicate the success the Pats have had in the postseason, only allowing 3.7 yards per carry.

(IndyStar.com)

Vince Wilfork (52 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 INT) seems to be the guy. He is one of four Patriots left from New England’s last championship team in 2004. This season, the 325-pound defensive tackle helped seal the win in the AFC title game, hitting Ray Rice for a loss on third down, then forcing an interception from Joe Flacco to preserve a three point lead late in the fourth quarter. He finished with six tackles. The Patriots will need Wilfork to take up space in the middle by occupying two blockers, which will hopefully mean more chances to get to Eli Manning.

Secondary

(NBCSports.com)

There is concern in the Patriots' secondary. Second to last in the league in pass defense, the Pats are giving up almost 300 yards in the air. The inability to tackle and recognize coverage has plagued the Pats' secondary, especially the safeties. This group has been a patchwork in progress, with cornerbacks playing safety and vice versa. Julien Edelman and Matthew Slater even played the cornerback position.  Although this group has struggled for much of the season, it has improved in its last couple of games. The return of Patrick Chung (62 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) from a sprained foot has proven to be the key factor to rejuvenating the secondary. 
The defense will lean on Chung, safeties Devin McCourty and James Ihedigbo, cornerback Kyle Arrington and rookie Sterling Moore to stop the Giants' passing attack. Giants wide receivers Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz are part of an offense that ranks fifth in the league, averaging 295 passing yards per game. 


Inside Linebackers
The strength of the defense is the presence of Jerod Mayo (95 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT) and Brandon Spikes (47 tackles). With 17 tackles in the post-season thus far, Mayo is an instinctive player, who Belichick calls "the quarterback" of the team. Even though Spikes missed eight games with a knee injury, his return to the lineup helped shore up the team's run defense. The 250-pound linebacker also had a big game in the AFC title game, registering a team-best nine tackles and coming up with a key fourth-quarter interception. This tandem of Spikes and Mayo on the inside provides a weighty advantage over running backs Jacobs and Bradshaw.

Regular Season vs. Post Season Stats

The Patriots defense on paper looks statistically horrid. Allowing over 411 yards per game, the defense has given up the highest total of yards than any other Super Bowl participant in history. However, in the postseason, Belichick's defenses have played much better, allowing only 325 yards per game. This success is mainly attributed to the return of linebacker Brandon Spikes and safety Patrick Chung, both who suffered injuries early in the season. The production of these two players has helped the defense both on the ground and through the air. With their return, the defense has averaged four sacks, and only 15 points per game.