New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are tied with the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC as the only two teams with nine wins this season.
Although the Patriots defense ranks top five in points per game, their red-zone defense is nearly as bad as it gets.
New England has allowed touchdowns on 72% of all red-zone opportunities, second-to-last in the entire NFL. The only team allowing more red-zone touchdowns is the 2-9 New York Giants.
For comparison, the Broncos sit atop the league in this same metric, allowing touchdowns on just 35.71% of drives inside the 20.
Phil Perry believes this shortcoming could be the Patriots’ “Achilles’ heel” come playoff time.
“It’s almost unfathomable, the rates that they’re at,” Perry said on the “Patriots Talk” podcast. “If that continues, that 70-plus percent, that will be one of the worst red-zone percentages for any defense in recent NFL history, going back to the early 2000s.”
That stat doesn’t apply to just playoff teams or just Super Bowl contenders. The Patriots are on pace to be one of the worst teams, regardless of record, in this metric.
Their success despite coming up short in this area of the field should serve as a dose of optimism.
Another source of optimism could be the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs. Despite many of the recent Super Bowl champions posting a percentage around or below the 50% mark, the Chiefs were able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy with the 28th-ranked red-zone defense, allowing touchdowns on 65.15% of trips.
