Patriots HC Bill Belichick struggles against chaotic QBs
Bill Belichick might be the greatest defensive game planner in NFL history. The Patriots coach even has a defensive gameplan in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But Belichick's highly structured, assignment-oriented defenses have an Achilles' heel: chaotic quarterbacks.
In a 24-10 win in Week 13 over the Patriots, Buffalo QB Josh Allen proved again that he has more trump cards versus Belichick's cerebral advantages than any other player in the NFL.
Allen's skillset is well-documented, but his chaotic nature is the important ingredient that causes major problems. When plays break down, he excels at running and passing.
Allen's 243 total yards in the win were his second-lowest total of the season, but the Patriots never truly solved him.
In a 47-17 win over New England in a wild-card game last season, Allen destroyed the Patriots with his arm (308 yards passing) and legs (66 yards rushing). He had fewer incompletions (four) than touchdown passes (five).
Allen recently talked about his backyard football approach and especially his connection with teammate Stefon Diggs, one of the NFL's best receivers.
On the surface, Chargers QB Justin Herbert seems similar to Allen. Both are tall, athletic, and have strong arms. But Herbert has fared poorly against Belichick because he's much more predictable in the pocket than Allen.
Belichick has bested other similar quarterbacks, such as Detroit's Jared Goff and former Chargers star Philip Rivers, whose styles are similar to Herbert's.
Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson falls into the chaotic QB category, too. He has a 107.2 passer rating, well above average, against Belichick. In a 37-26 win in Week 3 over New England, he accounted for five TDs -- four passing and one running. He often gashes the Patriots with his legs.
Chicago QB Justin Fields also falls into the chaotic category. His lone win since September was a 33-14 upset of the Patriots in Week 7 on "Monday Night Football." New England never really knew what they were getting on a given play.
The first 30 seconds of Belichick's postgame news conference after the Week 13 loss to Buffalo were telling.
"We just couldn't do enough," he said. It felt like an admission of his difficulty defending Allen.
Belichick is a football savant, but if you break his highly structured defenses, you can beat the chess master at a game he doesn't like to play.
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