Sunday: New England PatriotsBlanked the Detroit Lions 29-0 in a game that’ll be discussed more for the Patriots’ fourth-down defense and forced turnovers than their run fits. However, it was precisely those run fits that kept Bill Belichick’s defense in control of the game flow from start to finish.
Detroit needed everything Jared Goff’s 7 scramble yards just to eke over the 100-yard rushing benchmark, and the Lions’ rushing attack was held to its lowest expected points added and yards before contact of the season. That was despite Detroit having its best day since its season opener — even without injured back D’Andre Swift — in terms of rushing success rate and attempts gaining positive yardage.
Lions’ run by an opponent
The picture the data paints: Sunday’s game wasn’t a matter of the Lions giving up penetration or the Patriots creating TFLs with free blitzers. New England retained one of the most effective offensive lines in New England. NFLYou should not create any movement from the front.
That brings us to Belichick’s philosophy. Why is it so difficult to run against the New England defense year after year? There are three key ingredients to his 3-4 scheme: controlling the edge, playing “react-attack” techniques on the interior and matching the flow of the ball on the second level.
