Matt Judon’s sack total has exploded since he joined the New England Patriots. The defensive end has 12.5 through 13 games, which means he is projected to finish the season with 16.3 (using sacks per game).
That’s a huge leap from his previous career-high (9.5), which he has already topped. It seems the Patriots, who signed him this offseason on a four-year, $54 million deal, are onto something that the Baltimore Ravens were not when it comes to deploying Judon.
What’s to credit for the uptick in production? First and foremost, it’s an uptick in playing time. Judon is playing 84% of snaps for the Patriots. He played just 52.9% of snaps for the Ravens. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy broke down why it’s so important on former Patriots defensive end Chris Long’s podcast, “Green Light.”
“I’ll tell you why he didn’t,” Van Noy told Long, “because he was a role — because he didn’t play as much. When you go back and see how much he played in Baltimore, they rotate their edge rushers a lot. You — as a pass-rusher — need to get into a rhythm. It’s like a pitcher.
“So I’ll give you an example. Last night, going against the rookie Spencer Long, I was starting on the stab progression and he knocked me down. So I was like, ‘Alright.’ Later on in the game, I flashed it and faked it. It was the one where Josh Allen scrambled out with the penalty flag, but I should’ve sacked him. If I didn’t get those reps earlier in the game, I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”
Check out the rest of the interview here:
.@man_dammn has been a terror all season for the @Patriots.
Kyle talks about the importance of getting into a rhythm as a pass rusher and the key to Matthew's success this season. @JOEL9ONE | @KVN_03 | @WynnBET pic.twitter.com/2bHj2chUpi
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) December 9, 2021
Because Judon is so important to the Patriots defense, Bill Belichick seems willing to let the veteran have some freedoms that the coach might not afford to other players at the position. For example, the coach typically prohibits rushers from running past the passer during a rush. It seems Judon is allowed to do that, in part because he can somehow generate sacks from that point.
“No comment,” Van Noy said.
It seems the Patriots have given Judon plenty of playing time and freedom of scheme to maximize his incredible physical and mental abilities.
