Patriots' Defense Receives Absurd Ranking

The New England Patriots' defense definitely showed major signs of decline last year, which resulted in the Patriots blowing a ton of cash on that side of the ball in free agency.

New England signed names such as Harold Landry, Milton Williams, Carlton Davis and Robert Spillane, among others, to bolster the unit heading into 2025. But is there a strong belief that the Pats' defense will actually be much improved?

Well, Pro Football Network's metrics don't seem to think so, as it has ranked the Patriots' defense 30th in the NFL with the coming season on the horizon.

"This team thinks its franchise quarterback is on the roster, but is unsure if the defense can keep them competitive enough for it to matter," wrote PFN's Kyle Soppe. "Last season, New England ranked 31st in pressure rate and had the lowest sack percentage (5% with a league average of 6.9%). This team has already hit rock bottom and is trending in the right direction. Their growth hinges as much on a rebound from this unit as it does on their young signal-caller."

While New England still faces plenty of question marks defensively, ranking the Pats third from the bottom of the league seems a bit low.

The Patriots weren't even that bad last year, when they ranked 22nd in both yards allowed and scoring defense in 2024.

New England's offense has definitely been the bigger area of concern over the last couple of years, so it is largely on the defense to make Drake Maye and Co. more comfortable in 2025. Whether or not the Pats' defense can actually do that is another question, of course.

The Patriots totaled just 28 sacks last year, so perhaps the additions they have made can help them apply more pressure to opposing quarterbacks, which could pay major dividends.