The New England Patriots’ front seven is much stronger in 2021 than it was last season.
But, there’s still room for improvement.
Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison noted this during an NBC Sports segment.
“I look at their defensive front seven — which is supposed to be stout, which is really supposed to be the strength of their team — and it was average,” Harrison said, transcribed by WEEI. “It wasn’t very good. I just didn’t see the consistent pressure. I didn’t see them stopping the run. I didn’t see those guys flying around. They looked slow, they didn’t really look energetic.
“This is supposed to be a faster, more athletic defense. I was just really stunned by the Patriots’ front seven.”
The Patriots did manage to hold the Dolphins to only 74 rushing yards on 23 carries, which is a vast improvement in the rush defense compared to last season. But, Tua Tagovailoa had too much freedom in the 17-16 win and the lethal group of edge rushers didn’t pose the threat they were expected to.
Things will likely change in Week 2, though.
New England will hit the road to take on the New York Jets and they’ll face rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. Bill Belichick’s teams are historically dominant against rookie quarterbacks and it’ll be an opportunity to get the front seven fired up.
If Harrison still feels this way after Week 2, the Patriots may have an issue defensively going forward.
