http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/..._patriots_defense_takes_step_forward_vs_49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — While the Patriots kept the lowly 49ers from doing much damage on the scoreboard yesterday afternoon in the pouring rain, you didn’t walk away thinking Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia fixed all the problems with their beleaguered defense.
The unit still won’t scare any of the better offenses in the league based on this performance against the Niners. Given the defense is currently in a bit of a transition phase, though, this was a start.
There were several positives to take from the 30-17 victory, and given how poorly the Patriots performed against Seattle a week ago in that phase of the game, they’ll take it and continue to move forward.
“Last week we showed things we obviously needed to work on, and need to work on fast if we want to continue to win,” defensive captain and safety Devin McCourty said following the win. “We did some of those things well today, but it doesn’t matter if we don’t come back next week and put in the work and do the same thing next Sunday.”
The fact Belichick and Patricia left Jabaal Sheard, one of their best defenders from last season, at home, sent the message that the coaching staff wasn’t going to tolerate players who weren’t performing up to expected levels.
We won’t know if the fire’s been lit under Sheard until he plays again, but the rest of the players seemed to start with a pretty high energy level.
They have to know Belichick isn’t afraid to bench someone during the game, leave them behind on a road trip, or ship them out of town if they don’t give their all or continually underperform.
That being said, here’s what went well.
The Patriots actually put up a decent pass rush. Last week, they didn’t get to Russell Wilson or bother him nearly enough. They did manage to hound Colin Kaepernick and create enough chaos to help the pass coverage, while also sacking him five times in the first half.
“We fed off each other. They rushed great. We loved that, and that helped us out a ton,” said cornerback Logan Ryan of the guys up front. “I think the coverage was pretty good, as well. It was tough just trying to shadow those receivers in that messy weather.”
They tried some new wrinkles. Patrick Chung charging in on a safety blitz got Kaepernick down once; Malcolm Butler got him down another time during the opening drive.
The sacks also came at significant points. Dont’a Hightower buried Kaepernick on a third-and-goal from the 6, sending him back for an 8-yard loss to force a field goal in the first quarter.
Rob Ninkovich and Kyle Van Noy registered the other sacks. With the pressure coming from all sides, Kaepernick either had to tuck it down and run, or eat the football.
“They did a great job up front. It’s just been so tough, these quarterbacks that can move around, and get outside the pocket,” said McCourty. “So at times, it looks like there’s no pass rush, and at times, it looks like there’s a great pass rush, and they break a tackle and move around, so we’ve had some quarterbacks that are tough to contain. But guys are working hard and getting after it. We’re trying to match the coverage with the rush, and today, we had times when we did it really well, and it showed up. We just have to keep doing that.”
Essentially, Butler, Ryan and Eric Rowe handled the 49ers receivers, with Ryan getting a full dose of Jeremy Kerley, who has hurt the Pats in the past. The two Niners who did the most damage yesterday were tight end Vance McDonald (three catches, 46 yards, TD) and running back Shaun Draughn (three catches, 43 yards, TD), so they’re still having some issues with linebackers dropping into coverage.
McCourty is a big believer that if you make plays, you can sustain energy and momentum as a defense. To a degree, the Pats did that, as the Niners only converted 5-of-14 third-down opportunities.
“You’ve got to make plays. We came out early with energy, but it doesn’t matter how much energy you have in pregame and the kickoff. You have to make plays,” said McCourty, “and guys stepped up and made plays. We got off the field. I think you can build off that. When you have success defensively, it just builds momentum. Every part of the game is like that, you got to keep doing good things to keep the energy level high.”
The Pats also made adjustments at halftime, not allowing the upset-minded hosts to creep back into the game.
The Niners, much like the Seahawks, seemed to be targeting rookie linebacker Elandon Roberts both in the run and passing game.
There was a sequence in the second quarter where Kaepernick eluded him for a 17-yard gain, immediately followed by Roberts being unable to stay with tight end Garrett Celek on a 19-yard reception.
A switch was made to Van Noy, who held up pretty well during the second half.
The Pats did have some trouble stopping running back Carlos Hyde. They were blown off the line of scrimmage at different points in the first half, with Hyde gaining 55 yards on 11 carries. He finished the game with 86 yards on 19 carries, so the Pats made adjustments and buckled down to make the stops.
“Our mentality was just to come out and execute, and I think we executed well,” said Ryan. “The pass rush was great, and the coverage was married up with that. So a lot of guys took the challenge that was brought upon us, and played this offense pretty well. It wasn’t perfect, obviously, but I just think guys went out there, and tried to get a win.”
It’s a start, but a lot remains unsettled, as Belichick and Patricia mix and match and see what’s going to work best for the long haul.