Pass rush yields secondary gains
The Patriots turned the Panthers’ self-proclaimed superhero into a comic book punchline Friday night.
And last season’s runaway MVP won’t be the only quarterback who is flustered by the Pats’ aggressive pass rush and opportunistic secondary in 2016.
Cornerback Logan Ryan and safeties Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon rescued three wounded ducks during the Patriots’ 19-17 victory against the Panthers, and those easy interceptions all were aided by their defensive front. For the third time in as many weeks, the Patriots have showcased a pass rush that should be among the most feared in the league, and they’ve done it twice without injured defensive ends Jabaal Sheard (sprained MCL) and Rob Ninkovich (torn triceps).
The Pats have six interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns this preseason, so they’re cooking. It’s a clear result of the rush and coverage operating in harmony.
Those takeaways and easy scores are of obvious significance, especially while Jimmy Garoppolo starts the first four games, and the Patriots had an uncharacteristically down season in 2015. Their 21 takeaways were tied for 22nd-most in the league, and it was their second-lowest total in 16 seasons under Bill Belichick. And as the offense limped down the stretch last season, the defense only managed to force multiple turnovers once in their final 10 games, including the playoffs, which played a part in those five losses.
There’s been a rapid turnaround this summer in that department.
“Turnovers, definitely early in the game, are infectious,” Ryan said. “That’s what we pride ourselves on, getting a bunch of them.”
The struggles for Panthers quarterback Cam Newton often were the result of a pocket that closed to the size of a phone booth. The Pats starting defense pitched a shutout, and the first-string front seven amassed one sack, one quarterback hit, seven pressures, two drawn holding penalties, two run stuffs and one batted pass in 26 drop-backs from Newton and Derek Anderson (one series) before halftime.
The quarterbacks completed a combined 11-of-25 passes for 98 yards and three picks in the first half. That included three completions for 31 yards on screens and dump-offs and Anderson’s 18-yard throw to Devin Funchess against a breakdown in zone coverage.
Starting cornerbacks Malcolm Butler, Ryan and Cyrus Jones stifled receivers Kelvin Benjamin, Ted Ginn and Funchess. Ryan attributed his interception to two factors. First, he recognized Newton’s pre-snap check through film study and had a pretty good idea there would be a deep sideline pass going in his direction, which is why he found the ball so quickly. Second, linebacker Jamie Collins’ blitz disrupted the line, and defensive end Trey Flowers’ pressure forced Newton to leave the ball short for Benjamin.
“We were in a great call,” Ryan said. “I know that Jamie and a couple guys had a great pass rush. He was able to throw the ball and leave it a little short, so I had a chance at it.”
Newton was 2-of-3 for 15 yards when targeting Butler, who had a pass breakup with a nice hit on tight end Ed Dickson. One completion yielded a harmless 6 yards on a firstand-20 throw to Ginn.
Jones didn’t allow a completion on two first-half targets, and credit his tight coverage against Kevin Norwood as a reason for Anderson’s overthrow that was intercepted by Harmon. The Patriots can certainly be pleased when their opponent is 3-of-10 for 24 yards when targeting their three best corners.
The injuries to Sheard and Ninkovich have unveiled two absolute gems in Chris Long and Flowers. Long has been outstanding all summer after falling out of favor with the Rams because of a couple injury-plagued seasons. He drew a hold, added three pressures and dropped into coverage to deflect Newton’s pass that was intercepted by McCourty, which set up Tom Brady’s touchdown pass to Chris Hogan. Long had two pressures and one drawn hold in the previous two games.
“It’s been really fun,” Long said. “It’s a fun place to play.”
Flowers, who essentially red-shirted because of shoulder and knee injuries as a rookie, added a sack, a pressure and a run stuff against the Panthers after entering the game with 1.5 sacks, three pressures, one drawn hold, one run stuff and a strip sack that he returned for a touchdown.
Defensive tackle Anthony Johnson likely has earned a role as an interior penetrator on passing downs with his back-to-back big-time showings. He had two more pressures while rotating with the starters, and Johnson’s rush forced Newton to roll out of the pocket to his left and throw off his back foot for an incompletion on fourth-and-2.
The Pats’ disruption showed its impact in a number of ways, and their relentlessness with their pass rush indicates it’ll pose problems for their opposition throughout the season.