Callahan: The Patriots’ defense is driving them closer to contender status

FOXBORO Forget for a minute the punching bag the Browns have been and seem fated to be so long as they call themselves a football squad This isn t about the Browns This isn t even about Sunday It s about the punctuation Sunday became for the first half of a season where the Patriots defense is no longer a punching bag Not even close Yes the same defense Geno Smith carved up for passing yards in the opener And the one that forgot how to tackle in Miami And the same defense that for whatever reason insists on spotting opponents a touchdown or field goal on every opening series Maybe they re bored Bored or not these Patriots are nearing top- status a territory that if reached at season s end would make this club a certified contender So while Drake Maye builds an MVP circumstance and powers a legitimate top- offense it s the other side of the ball that may push the Pats from special to spectacular Regardless of whether they like to run the ball or pass the ball if we re on our s noted Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis we ve got a chance to beat any association Here s the episode The Pats are the first unit since to play the first eight weeks of a season without allowing a running back to gain yards in a competition Their run defense rates third by Expected Points Added EPA and might be first in yards per carry allowed once Week concludes Monday night Every Sunday the Pats abide faithfully by Mike Vrabel s edge wall swarm philosophy of controlling the perimeter damming the middle and gang-tackling until the ball carrier hits the ground Just ask Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins one of the the bulk talented runners in football who went home with rushing yards Sunday OK so teams throw the ball Well the Patriots best member Christian Gonzalez just returned to peak form after three weeks away and four weeks of finding himself Gonzalez held Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy to zero catches and artfully guided Jeudy into the sideline on a fourth-down throw late in the event that fell incomplete The two exchanged words afterward Jeudy trying to save face on a day Gonzalez had taken his soul I love it Gonzalez stated of getting targeted I mean I talk about being a corner that s what you want You want teams to throw the ball your way So I invited it Foxboro MA - New England Patriots Christian Gonzalez chased down Cleveland Browns' Quinshon Judkins during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium Nancy Lane Boston Herald Three days earlier Gonzalez s position coach shared the star corner was still returning to contest form That box can now officially be checked You know what comes next for the -year-old who made the All-Pro second band in his second year Maybe dominance It s consistently a little tough missing time and your legs are heavy Gonzalez revealed But like I explained I m good The biggest dent in the Patriots armor here may in fact be a once projected strength their pass rush Pats defensive tackle Milton Williams was hard on himself and his position group after Sunday s win feeling as if they hadn t harassed Browns quarterback Dilllon Gabriel quite enough There s something to that Gabriel took dropbacks but was sacked just once and hit only one other time Even in a competition where Cleveland schemed to get the ball out of his hands speedily the Patriots let Gabriel linger in the pocket for four or five seconds on a meager plays and he didn t go down But because Gabriel s arm talent and scrambling ability scare no one the Pats didn t pay even if it felt like they should have We were solid in the current era But I think I m just a perfectionist or something Or something might be wrong with me Williams revealed I just feel like we could have done more Related Articles Browns star Myles Garrett evaluates Patriots Will Campbell after five-sack championship Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson sparks rushing attack against NFL s best Patriots QB Drake Maye builds on MVP development shreds Browns with perfect nd half in blowout win Patriots HC Mike Vrabel sidelined Christian Barmore to protect the company What we learned Best and worst from Patriots - win over Browns And that brings us to the final piece the chase Davis disclosed the Patriots knew from the minute their defense was stitched together in the offseason from him to Williams Robert Spillane who grabbed a pick Sunday and others it could be great That drives them to this day It s the likely Davis explained Obviously feasible means nothing with our work so we ve just got to keep working towards it We know we could be a good unit and we know how far we can go But at the end of the day we ve got to prove it We ve got to show it Well they are lately Since Week the Patriots have been a top- defense against the run and pass by EPA They ve wrestled the league s MVP to the ground in an upset win at Buffalo and stonewalled three top- rushing attacks in the Bills Steelers and Panthers They ve forced offenses to routinely reach deep into their bag of tricks like the Browns who called a flea flicker and double-pass both in the second quarter But instead of pulling out touchdowns more often than not they re now holding white flags The Browns hadn t turned it over and then when their gimmick plays ran out Vrabel reported I thought we played pretty good defense