The Patriots defense fueled the team’s midseason rise to the top of the AFC East, including a five-game run leading into their Week 14 bye that saw them allow just 36 points.
Things went a lot less well after that break. The Patriots lost three of their final four games to fall out of first place and then got blown out by the Bills in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Opposing teams scored 150 points over that span — 140 coming in the four losses — and the defense didn’t stop the Bills once in the playoff game. The collapse led to questions about whether the team will make changes to their coaching staff this offseason, but linebacker Matthew Judon said on 98.5 The Sports Hub said coaches “were calling the right stuff” and that the problem came from players not staying within the system.
“It was just we weren’t playing good football, and I think after like two games, then everybody tried to start making a play. Like, ‘I’m going to be the player that do this. I’m going to be the player that do that,’” Judon said, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “Instead of just playing within the defensive scheme and stuff like that.”
The Patriots haven’t announced any coaching changes on the defensive side of the ball at this point. If that remains the case, it will support the idea that players didn’t fulfill Bill Belichick’s command to “do your job” down the stretch.