No. 1 in least yards allowed. No. 1 for least points against. No. 4 in turnovers.
Despite the whining about this defense being soft, we just held the Patriots to one touchdown. That one TD was a run in which Poyer overcommitted to one side. This defense is actually historically good in a number of ways, with a penchant for getting pushed a bit by power run teams.
We should have smacked the Patriots by 14 points easily. Mac Jones threw three passes. The Bills are simply way more talented. And, yet, we got whipped by a team we knew was going to run and we couldn't score in the redone save one time.
The problem clearly is the offense.
I watch Josh in the pocket and he amazes. Stands tall. Solid mechanics. Makes any throw. Escapability. Grit. Passion. Size. And physical toughness. He literally has it all.
We have a tendency to romanticize last year. There were rough spots for sure. But most games this offense was a damn video game. It was historic. This was at least in part thanks to the now-maligned Daboll.
This year, we have: A top 3 WR1 in Diggs - such an instinctive natural receiver. He's Randy Moss-esque.
A top 3 slot receiver: Beasley just gets open. He catches everything. And he fights for the YAC.
But, yes, watching McDaniels/Belichick call runs compared to us is night and day. And we have no rhythm, no push, we struggle in the red zone, and I have no faith we'll find any magic when we're down in the 4th. That last one is the biggest bummer.
So, what's changed? And how can we improve this so we can at least make a Wild Card?
---
PS: Please no vapid "Fire Daboll / McD sucks" comments and please offer an actual fix.
(EDIT)