New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots have accumulated 25 missed tackles during their first two games of the season, per Pats Pulpit Bernd Buchmasser.
Mike Vrabel expressed his concerns about the team’s tackling issues and outlined what the Patriots need to do in their upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We’ll have to tackle much better, Vrabel said Wednesday. “We’ll have to tackle (Jaylen) Warren, Jonnu (Smith), (DK) Metcalf, (Calvin) Austin (III). So, that’s the focus. That will be a critical part of this game plan. Those guys are great with the ball in their hands. They run very hard, they’re skilled, they’re big and present a challenge.”
According to Steelers Depot writer Josh Carney, Pittsburgh’s ball carriers have forced 25 missed tackles this season.
The Patriots will need to ensure they have a handful of defenders swarming the ball carrier at all times, or it could be a long day for the defense.
New England isn’t the only team in this week’s game that hasn’t been tackling well. Per Next Gen Stats, the Steelers’ defense has the highest missed tackle rate in the league.
“The Steelers have allowed opposing ball-carriers to force 28 missed tackles and record the third-most yards after missed tackles in the NFL (160),” the report says. “Last season, the Steelers recorded the second-lowest missed tackle rate (10.7%) in the NFL.”
The Patriots and Steelers may engage in a high-scoring game on Sunday if both teams’ tackling struggles continue.
