FOXBOROUGH- Interim Patriots defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr met with the media on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Kuhr touched on a variety of topics including how the Patriots could potentially contain Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Kuhr offered insights into the demanding task of defending one of the NFL’s premier dual-threat weapons.
When talking about Allen’s exceptional talent, Kuhr acknowledged the difficulty in containing him.
“He’s in the upper echelon of physically talented” quarterbacks in the league, Kuhr said, underscoring the challenge he presents to any defensive scheme. Allen’s physical ability is why the Patriots’ defensive approach focuses heavily on coordinated pressure and coverage.
The Patriots’ earlier success against the Bills in Week 5 involved a strategic mix of heavy man coverage and timely pressure packages. The defense played a 41 percent man coverage rate, forcing Bills receivers to work hard for separation downfield. However, Kuhr’s philosophy doesn’t rely on simply assigning one player to shadow the quarterback as a designated spy. Instead, the focus is on collective responsibility.
“You’d like your front to have good, coordinated rush lanes, where you don’t have to attribute a guy to him like that,” Kuhr explained, emphasizing the importance of a disciplined four-man rush to keep Allen contained within the pocket. The linemen are coached to sugar rush Allen and not to rush beyond or come inside too quickly, a move that can inadvertently create open rushing lanes for a mobile quarterback. Kuhr said the goal is to “keep Allen in the pocket and limit his legs,” especially on critical third-down situations where his scrambling ability is often most impactful.
Kuhr’s defense successfully limited Allen’s rushing in their first meeting, forcing him to win from within the pocket rather than the chaos he often thrives in. The defensive strategy is a constant balancing act between pressuring Allen and ensuring receivers are covered.
“We have to mix it up,” Kuhr stated when asked about the balance of pressure and coverage against the Bills’ protection schemes.
“You want to be sound in everything that you do. You don’t want to just leave it up to chance and hope that he’s not going to find somebody. You want to make sure that everybody’s covered or that zones are accounted for, and that the rush lanes are sound.”
The key, as Kuhr sees it, is to be “coordinated and relentless,” avoiding a cautious approach while remaining fundamentally sound in their assignments.
It is easier said than done against one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. A quarterback who will be highly motivated to lead his team to win as they fight to stay in the divisional and playoff hunt.