Image courtesy of AP/Danny Karnik

The Patriots beat the Falcons 25-0 on Thursday night to push their winning streak to five games and their overall record to 7-4. What once looked like a potential .500 season after some tough September losses now looks like a season that won’t end until at least late January. There have been many reasons for New England’s resurgence, but the most underrated has been their 3^rd Down defense.

One month ago, after a 35-29 loss to the Cowboys, the Patriots defense ranked 20^th in the NFL on 3^rd Down and something looked off. Today, after holding Atlanta to 2/11 on 3rd Down last night, the unit ranks 8^th. They are allowing opponents to convert 35.46% of the 3^rd Down opportunities.

There have been several reasons for the uptick. One, the Patriots have appeared to mix up their coverages more on 3^rd Down and have been playing more zone, especially since Jonathan Jones got hurt. A bigger reason has been the improved pass rush. Matt Judon has been a star all year, but Carl Davis and Christian Barmore have steadily improved over the past several weeks. At this point, Barmore could be in the conversation for defensive rookie of the year. Barmore played over 60% of the defensive snaps for the first time in Week 7 and since then has been over 60% in every game. His pass rush, especially on 3^rd Down, has been excellent. Another reason has been the improved defense on first and second down, with New England opponents facing 3^rd and medium to long on a regular basis.

The Patriots have their toughest stretch of the year coming up, with a game against the Titans followed by two games against the Bills and a game against the Colts. If the Patriots can go 2-2 in that stretch, they will be almost assured a playoff spot. If they are to go 2-2 or better, their 3^rd Down defense will need to continue to dominate. Buffalo ranks second in the NFL in converting 3^rd Downs, while Tennessee is 11^th and Indianoplis is 16^th.

It’s no secret that great defenses perform well on 3^rd Down and as the Patriots have begun to round into form their performance on 3^rd Down has been a big reason why. This also helps the Patriots offense, which is getting more opportunities with the ball and often in better field position. It would be wrong to not also mention the offense on 3^rd Down, which has improved significantly as well over the past month.

Things seem to firing on all cylinders for the Patriots, but the next four games will give a measure of how good they actually are. If their 3^rd Down defense is any indication, they should measure up just fine.