The New England Patriots are undefeated after five weeks of NFL football and their defense is historically good.
New England played their second straight road game and they picked apart the Washington Redskins in a 33-7 victory. Washington scored first with a 65-yard rushing touchdown, but that’s all they got. The Patriots fired back with 33 consecutive points and never let the gas off the pedal.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
Sony Michel finally had his breakout game
The Patriots have been awaiting the emergence of Sony Michel, and he finally provided the team with a productive game. He was even active in the passing game after reeling in a career-high three catches — he only had seven total catches last season.
Michel finished the game with 16 carries, 91 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. He’s struggled without James Develin on the field, but Jakob Johnson was able to clear the way for him against the Redskins. Michel’s had two games with less than 20 rushing yards this season, and he needed Week 5 as a confidence boost going forward.
Mike Nugent should be a viable replacement for Stephen Gostkowski
The Patriots aren’t used to having uncertainty at the kicking position. They’ve been lucky enough to have Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski during the Bill Belichick era.
Veteran kicker Mike Nugent entered the picture after Gostkowski was placed on the injured reserve list, and he was solid. Aside from missing the initial point after attempt — which was a difficult way to start — he played a productive game. He made two field goals in the game with a long of 37, and he made three-of-four point-after attempts.
He wasn’t tested with a long or pressured field goal, but this team is good enough to keep him out of those scenarios in the regular season.
Dont’a Hightower was an absolute terror for Washington
The Patriots’ defense didn’t necessarily need Dont’a Hightower in their Week 4 win over the Buffalo Bills, but he would’ve helped out. Hightower returned in Week 5 after missing the Buffalo game with a shoulder injury.
He came out against Washington with an intensity that no one on the field could match. Hightower finished the game with eight tackles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. He was a one-man wrecking crew and was stationed in the Redskins’ backfield.
Julian Edelman shines; Patriots receiving corps thins out
The Patriots’ receiving corps has been on and off all season. They’ve had glimpses of looking like one of the best in the NFL, but they’re back to a decent crew.
This crew is led by Julian Edelman — who was injured — and finished the game with eight receptions, 110 yards, and a touchdown. The only other receiver to put up a decent game was Josh Gordon, who finished with five catches and 59 yards. New England lost their third receiver in Phillip Dorsett to a hamstring injury and his return date is unknown.
That leaves an injured Edelman, Gordon, Jakobi Meyers, and Gunner Olszewski as the unit for Thursday night’s matchup against the New York Giants. The Patriots need to quickly make a move because it’ll be tough to recover if another receiver goes down.
This defense is playing at a historic level
It’s becoming obvious that New England’s smothering defense will be more important this season than their 42-year-old quarterback. Brady is playing at a high level, but he isn’t willing the Patriots into victories.
The defense has been playing absolutely lights out and they haven’t allowed a team to score more than 14 points this season. They finished Sunday’s matchup against the Redskins with six sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception. The Redskins only had 220 total yards of offense and only converted 1-of-11 third-down attempts.
New England leads the NFL in almost every defensive category and they will continue to dominate with this defense behind Brady.
