Sportsnaut
The New England Patriots have been much better in 2025 than they were in 2024, that much is obvious. However, there is one part of the team that has been especially great so far in 2025- the run defense.
In Week 8, the Patriots held the Cleveland Browns to just 68 total rushing yards. Even more impressive is that wide receiver Malachi Corley had 31 of those yards on a sweep on the team’s first drive of the game. That means when you take away the Corley play, the Browns combined for just 37 yards on the ground.
Following the game, ESPN’s Mike Reiss pointed out that the Patriots have not allowed any running back to get 50 yards this season. They became the first defense to deter any running back from reaching that tally through the season’s first eight games since 1950.
It’s not like the Patriots haven’t been playing good running teams either. Entering Week 8, Browns running back Quinshon Judkins had ended with at least 60 rushing yards in five of his six games in 2024. Against the Patriots, however, Judkins failed to have a single run of more than six yards and ended with just 19 total.
Ashton Jeanty, De’Von Achane, Chuba Hubbard, and James Cook are some of the other running backs the Patriots have been able to successfully shut down in 2025. The Patriots are second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game and are just barely behind the first place Seattle Seahawks in the category.
Week 9 will present another tough test, though, as the Patriots are set to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are 11th in the league in rushing yards per game, averaging just over 123. The team has Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, both of whom have at least 200 yards and multiple touchdowns so far this season.
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