The New England Patriots (9-1) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-5), 17-10, to keep their spot up top in the AFC playoff picture. Here are the grades for the Patriots defense.
Defensive Line
One of the underrated facets of New England’s awesome defense has been the play of the big boys up front — Lawrence Guy and Danny Shelton.
The man power behind these two behemoths was on display on Sunday, as each swallowed up any rushing lanes in the second half after Bill Belichick adjustments.
Both Shelton and Adam Butler added a sack each.
Grade: A
Linebackers
Kyle Van Noy and Dont’a Hightower each had a sack in exceptional performances, and Jamie Collins looked more like himself after a bad performance in Baltimore.
Elandon Roberts also added a sack and was a part of New England’s sound rush defense in the second half after some adjustments.
Grade: A-
Defensive Back
With not much time to work with, Carson Wentz had a rough night looking for open receivers.
With perhaps the NFL’s best one-two punch at tight end with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, the Patriots used a variety of different matchup assignments to stifle the Eagles.
Stephon Gilmore often guarded Zach Ertz on key third downs, which helped, and Jonathan Jones and Devin McCourty each had good games in coverage.
Jason McCourty shook off a horrendous two-play start to contribute with a formidable performance.
Grade: A-
