32 Teams/32 Days: New England Patriots 2021

LINK TO 32/32 HUB
LINK TO LAST YEAR'S 32/32 PATS

32 Teams in 32 Days; 2021 NFL Season

Team: New England Patriots
Record: 10-7, Second in AFC East
Playoffs: Yes
Did I Enjoy Playoffs: No

Season Metaphor: Imagine getting a new puppy as a pet. There are some early teething and house training problems, but pretty soon you have a really happy time with a wonderful puppy and life is great. But then the puppy gets sick and everything is much less great, the vet costs are expensive, and you need to wait for the pup to get better before you can play with it again. That is what the 2021 Patriots season was.

Hello one and all, and welcome to 32 Teams in 32 Days for the New England Patriots. This past year was a fresh start for the Patriots and brought A New Hope for New England football fans (alternate title: The Empire Strikes Back) and mild indigestion for fans of the other teams. For the record, I do not have any pets and have never had a sick puppy. Neither am I calling Mac Jones a dog, though he did bark at snowfall.

I am Bluethingamajig, taking part in writing this thing for the fourth straight year, and first year as lead writer. I am joined by a bevy of co-writers: u/ecupatsfan12, u/Shadow5ive, u/That_guy381, and u/fat-lip-lover. I would also like to acknowledge and thank u/Enterprise90 and u/arbrown83, the writers who let me share my thoughts with a pseudo-captive audience over the past three years, as well as 32/32 organizer u/ehhhhhhhhhhmacarena who really should consider having fewer H's. Finally, I want to give a shout-out to u/O_the_Scientist who writes the Patriots offseason review here on reddit which are absolutely fantastic reads and I highly recommend them. Without any further ado, let us begin this recap.

Directory

Main Post:

THE STORY OF 2021
HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS, from all writers
ROSTER CHANGES by ecupatsfan12
DRAFT REVIEW by Shadow5ive.
SEASON STATISTICS, by fat-lip-lover

Separate Comments:

GAME RECAPS, by That_Guy381 and fat-lip-lover
ROSTER REVIEW, by Shadow5ive
COACHING STAFF REVIEW, by ecupatsfan12
NEWSWORTHY: On Josh McDaniels, Tom Brady, and more
FINAL THOUGHTS + A LOOK TO THE FUTURE

The Story of the 2021 NFL Season, Patriots Edition

This season was a major departure from the past two decades of Patriots football. Usually, the stories are about what happened during the season. For the Patriots this past year, it was what happened in the offseason. New faces all over the roster, Bill laughing, and swirling questions about the old guard’s potential to retire. But I am getting ahead of myself. To properly tell this story, we must start in the jurisdiction of TheFencingCoach. Let us roll back the clock to the previous season... (insert ripple vfx here)

Super Bowl Sunday. February 7th, 2021.
Patriots fans have slowly digested their first losing season since the year 2000. Antoine Winfield Jr. flashes a peace sign at Tyreek Hill after a fourth down pass breakup. Tom Brady, this time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, claims his seventh Lombardi Trophy. We Patriots fans, clad in our yellow wolverine costumes, are torn between celebrating vicariously and weeping in dismay that our depleted roster lacked the talent to win once more with Tom.

This is of course rhetorical hyperbole and not an actual accounting of Patriots fans (probably), but the underlying sentiment remains. We (most of us, anyway) enjoyed watching Tom win once more and worried about the talent on the roster. No team should be happy with 7-9. Perhaps a bad team could be 'pleased with the progress' of going 7-9, but that is not the same as being happy. Things needed to change.

The Offseason Begins
Good drafting is the only way to sustain success in the NFL (axiomatically, Belichick is good at drafting. Yes, really, he is). Teams can ride a great draft or two to successful seasons and even a Superbowl, but those teams will fade back to mediocrity without further draft hits. In the past few years, the Patriots' drafts came up short. Consequently, the Patriots had tons of salary cap space to make bold plays in free agency. Linebackers, Tight Ends, and more hit the headlines for New England. The only missing piece is quarterback. Be sure to check out the full Offseason Roster Changes from ecupatsfan12 and Shadow5ive down below.

Cam Copium and The Mac Attack
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton was not a good quarterback in 2020. I defended him and his 2020 performance. I still do so now. Not because he was a great (or even good) QB, but because many parts of his game were good enough. His positive enthusiasm and leadership, his slick threads, great legs, and a statistically above-average downfield passing (if only we had receivers downfield to throw it to) were all highlights of his 2020 campaign. Also, his salary cap hit was tiny. In contrast, you could be a fan of a team spending far more on QBs and getting even less. You know which teams I am referring to.

Cam's weaknesses in 2020 were a horrendous lack of touch on short passes (notoriously spiking many of them in the dirt), bad pocket movement, and a dreadfully slow, low angle pass delivery resulting in many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. Nevertheless, when Cam begins the season with a win against Miami, a outstanding performance against the Seahawks, and follows up with a nasty bout with COVID, it's easy to understand why many Patriots fans including myself explained away his struggles and were relatively content with Cam in 2020.

Enter, however, one Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones. The first time the Patriots have drafted a QB in the first round since Drew Bledsoe and we did not even need to trade up to secure him. The expectation was that Cam would be a bridge quarterback for some or all of the year while the coaching staff determined if and when Mac would be ready for the NFL.

Training Camp and Preseason
All eyes are on the quarterback battle between Cam Newton and Mac Jones. Mac, playing with and against the second teams, is putting up better statistics than Cam. As a conventional pocket passer, Mac is showing the same qualities he had at Alabama: decision making, finesse, and accuracy. Cam, for his part, has appeared to improve on the areas he was worst at in 2020: movement in the pocket, finesse on short passes and checkdowns, and just a bit better in footwork (particularly on short passes). Stidham and Hoyer also exist, but we already knew that neither would be the starter.

Mac not only demonstrated he was an NFL capable quarterback, his play also convinced McDaniels and Belichick that the Patriots would be best off if he were the starter. Subsequently, they decided to cut Cam Newton from the roster. I was genuinely shocked. I thought that, even if Mac earned the starting job, Cam could still be a great contributor to the team.

With the benefit of hindsight, I was on the Cam Copium. Although I still believe he was a decent quarterback in 2020, he obviously was not the future for New England. Once Mac demonstrated he was the QB, Bill and Josh decided it would be best to give as many resources to Mac as possible and not let Cam distract their gameplanning. I still believe that, had Cam started the first stretch of the season, we could have won one or two more of the games. However, this hypothetical could have a negative knock-on effect hurting Mac Jones' development and long term success.

The Regular Season Starts
Finally, the regular season begins with Mac in charge and a re-energized Patriots fanbase. I will not comment here and risk diminishing the game recaps and other sections (find them below). I shall instead pass it off to my co-writers to tell us what happened during the season. Enjoy the read (or don’t, I’m not your boss).

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS

Much like most normal NFL teams, the Patriots experienced a fair share of good and bad in the season. Here's what my co-writers and I had to say about things.

Highlights

Bluethingamajig: By chance alone, Jakobi Meyers should have been able to find the end zone a couple times in his career. However, through most of the year, he had more career passing touchdowns (2) than receiving touchdowns (0). He demolished the NFL record for scrimmage yards without scoring a touchdown. But he finally broke through on a garbage time score against the Browns and ended the year with a career best…two TDs for the year. Winning the game was nice, too.

Shadow5ive: Looking at season highlights, I think the game that really epitomized 2021 was the win against the Bills. 14-10, we won the windiest game ever played in NFL history (or one of). We had THREE pass attempts. THREE. AND WE WON. The team ran the freaking ball all day, every down, and steamrolled the Bills. Our defense stepped up, our QB had BEAUTIFUL handoffs, and we hit everything that moved. On offense, I think Jakob Johnson hit a linebacker on 75% of his snaps.

ecupatsfan: Beating a very good Chargers team in LA and dismantling the Jets (sorry) and Browns in statement games that we were back in the map of big players in the NFL.

That_guy381: I swear, nothing makes me happier than running over and dropping a 50 burger on the Jets. This year, however, was extra special due to the fact that both teams were running with rookie quarterbacks. It was vindicating to watch our boy, Mac Jones, out play Zach Wilson even more the second time around.

fat-lip-lover: It might not be a single moment/game, but just the fact that we landed a decent rookie quarterback who got thrown immediately into the fire, kept him healthy and gave him a middle of the road supporting cast, and he ended the season as a top 15 quarterback and leading us to the first non-Brady playoff appearance since the 90s, is absolutely my point of light and hope for the future.

arbrown83: In a pass-first, misdirection-led league, the Patriots were borderline disrespectful when they traveled to Buffalo and ran the ball on all but 3 of their offensive plays in the win against the division leading Bills. To me, this was Bill Belichick showing that he can still win games without Tom Brady at the helm.

enterprise90: Week 4 against Brady and the Bucs: One of the most emotional and anticipated games in NFL history, in my opinion, was seeing Tom Brady in Buccaneer red and white visiting Gillette Stadium where he for two decades wore Pat Patriot on the side of his helmet. The Patriots lost the game, but I don’t think there were many who predicted the team would rise to the occasion and make it a close loss. Mac Jones stepped up and the team stepped up at a moment where everyone expected them to fold and get trounced. Brady and Belichick dueled for the first and perhaps last time, and it was the chess match people always expected it would be. I can only speak for myself, but it felt like after the game that whatever differences Brady and the Patriots had were settled and the two sides could finally be at peace.

Analysis: A lot of things to be happy about this season if you were a Patriots fan.

Lowlights

Bluethingamajig: Week 14. The bye week. There was no catastrophic injury or other cause for concern during the bye. For some reason though, the team seemed to forget how to play football. In the weeks afterwards, we saw defenders flub assignments, receivers collide with each other, and as many turnovers as the team’s sloppy season start. All these punctuated a 1-4 finish.

Shadow5ive: 47-17. Maybe, just maybe, if the Bills didn’t have a perfect game I'd be a little better off. Or, if maybe it was another team. This one stung.

ecupatsfan: 47-17. Nothing to say more than that.

That_guy381: As much as I want to say the wildcard game, I have to say the first loss to Buffalo. We had them right where we wanted them. At home. Already a game ahead. We could have essentially put away the division right there, and had a good shot at the first round bye. But we blew it, and the team never looked the same outside of a drubbing given the next week to the lowly Jaguars.

fat-lip-lover: The season being bookended by a sweep from the Dolphins. I personally seeth way worse than normal to a Dolphins loss, so two of them really busted my bunker this year.

arbrown83: The other two games against the Bills. Losing in a playoff game where the defense couldn't force a punt was a strange sight to see -- not only for this season where the defense was the strength of this team, but it's rare to see a Belichick defense outmatched in such a way. A tough way to end the season for sure.

enterprise90: The bye week blues: An impressive seven-game winning streak came to an end against the Indianapolis Colts, the first time the Patriots have lost to the Colts since 2009. From then, the team went on to lose three out of its next four, including a playoff demolition against the Bills. In each loss, the Patriots were down multiple possessions by halftime and could never get back in the game. December was one of the months you could count on Brady and the Patriots to seal the deal, but Jones and the rest of the team has learning to do. Winning must be learned; it’s not just a matter of talent and coaching. The seven-game streak looks far less impressive when the Patriots couldn’t capitalize on the momentum.

Analysis: Congratulations, Buffalo. In addition to winning the division, Patriots fans largely agree that two of the three games against you this year were the worst parts of the year.

ROSTER CHANGES

Written by ecupatsfan12 After a lackluster 2020 season by Patriot standards- Billy B opened up the pockets in free agency in 2021 signing numerous players to multi year deals to rebuild the team that was starting to falter after Brady’s final year in New England.

9-Matthew Judon-OLB (age 30)- Judon signed a 4 year 56 million dollar contract with New England in the spring of 2021 after departing from Baltimore. Judon was a menace the first half of the season from his 3-4 end spot, although cooling down towards the end of the year. Judon finished 2021 with 60 tackles and 12.5 sacks, a career high. Look for Judon to build off of his excellent 2021 in a dominating 2022. 2022 PROJ-65 tackles for 10 sacks, 1 INT.

84-Kendrick Bourne-WR (age 27)- Kendrick signed in March 2021 with the Patriots after four seasons in San Francisco for 3 years and 15 million. Bourne alternated with Jakobi Meyers as the X possession “big body” receiver for the Patriots. Bourne had an instant connection with Mac Jones-tying a career high in touchdown grabs and setting a career high in receptions going 55 for 800 yards and 5 TD grabs. A team leader and fan favorite- look for Bourne to slightly improve off a fantastic 2021. 2022 PROJ- 60 for 843 yards with 6 TDs.

15-Nelson Agholor-WR (age 29)- After coming off five hot and cold seasons in Philadelphia where he helped the Eagles win a Lombardi, and lowlights of drop issues and being the butt of orphanage fire jokes, Agholor signed with New England after a solid 2020 campaign in Las Vegas for two years 26 million. Agholor primarily played Z receiver for the Patriots. Nelson’s 2021 season was underwhelming and further aligned with his inconsistent play losing play time to Jakobi Meyers. Agholor showed flashes of promise and speed, yet was plagued with drop issues in 2021 going 37 receptions for 473 yards and 3 TDs. 2022 is a make or break year for Agholor not just in NE but in the NFL. I see an increase in productivity but muted slightly by the almost certain additions to the Patriots receiving corps. Despite this, I would bet against Nelson being re-signed after 2022. 2022 PROJ-45 for 590 with 5 TDs.

85-Hunter Henry-TE-(age 29)- Coming off of five promising seasons with the Chargers despite a rash of injuries, Henry signed a three year 37 million dollar deal with the Patriots in March of 2021. Teamed with Jonnu Smith- the duo looked poised to be the greatest TE duo New England has had since Gronk and a TE who shall not be named. Despite Smith struggling massively his first year, Henry was a reliable and durable security blanket for MJ10-compiling 50 receptions for 603 yards and 9 TDs. I see Henry finishing his career as a Patriot and putting together another solid season in 2022. 2022 PROJ- 53 catches for 582 yards, 6 TDs.

81-Jonnu Smith- TE (age 27). After four seasons filled with promise in Tennessee- Smith signed a colossal 4 year 50 million dollar deal with the Patriots. Smith was projected to play more as a move TE and swiss army knife playing all over the field and allowing Bill to run his beloved 12 personnel. Smith’s 2021 in New England was a major disappointment, as he struggled to learn the playbook and lost time as the move TE to everyone's favorite draft bust-N’keal Harry. Smith mustered a meager 28 catches for 294 yards with a single score in addition to nine rushes for 40 yards. 2022 will be a big jump up for Smith and he will get back to his old self. 2022 Proj- 43 catches for 420 yards. 4 TDs. 11 rushes for 45 yards- 1 TD.

92-Davon Godchaux-(age 29). After four seasons with the Miami Dolphins- Godchaux came over to the Dark Side in 2021 signing a 2 year 15 million dollar contract. Godchaux was a force in the interior of the LOS compiling 32 solo tackles with 2 TFLs and 1 sack. Look for Godchaux to team with Christian Barmore in the middle for another outstanding 2022 and resign with New England. 2022 projection-30 tackles with 3 TFLs, 2 sacks.

2-Jalen Mills-(age 28)-Jalen came over from the Philadelphia Eagles after five seasons with the Eagles in the spring of 2021-signing a four year deal worth 24 million with the Patriots. Jalen played all over the defensive backfield, totaling 35 solo tackles with 12 assists with a sole TFL. Despite having no interceptions- he did have 7 passes defensed. Look for Jalen to be slightly more active this year. 2022 proj-40 tackles with 13 assists, 10 passes defensed, 1 INT.

53-Kyle Van Noy-age 31-After a sole year with the Miami Dolphins- Kyle came back home to New England signing a 2 year deal in early March. This will be Kyle’s sixth year with the Patriots, where he is a jack of all trades defensive player and fan favorite. After ten years in the NFL-expect Van Noy to be productive, but don’t be surprised if he retires after the 2022 season. 2022 Proj-42 tackles with 16 assists, 2 forced fumbles, 4 sacks.

Departures

OT-Marcus Cannon-After a decade in New England and a stalwart on the Patriot lines, Marcus was traded to the fighting Jack Easterbys in 2021. Cannon’s stint with the Texans was marred by a season ending injury in mid October.

OG-Joe Thuney- After five seasons with the Patriots, Thuney signed a massive five year 80 million dollar contract to protect Football Jesus aka Patrick Mahomes in 2021. Thuney had a great year with the Chiefs but lost in the AFC title game to an upstart Joe Burrow led Bengals team.

DT Adam Butler- After four seasons in New England, this defensive linemen signed a two year deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2021.

*WR Damiere Byrd- * Despite a very productive year in New England in 2020 in which he set career highs in receptions and yards-Byrd was not retained by the Patriots. He signed with the Bears for the 2021 season and he tallied a meager 329 yards on 26 catches with a lone TD catch.

DB Stephon Gilmore- Despite a fabulous run with the Patriots, Gilmore was traded in the middle of the season to the Carolina Panthers for cap relief purposes-a tactic us Patriot fans are well used to. Gilmore was a fan favorite with the Patriots and was a borderline DPOY candidate over a couple of seasons. We greatly miss him but appreciate his efforts and look for him to have a bounce back year with his hometown team.

2021 Patriots Draft

Written by Shadow5ive

Round 1, Pick 15: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
Round 2, Pick 38: Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
Round 3, Pick 96: Ronnie Perkins, DE, Oklahoma
Round 4, Pick 120: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma
Round 5, Pick 177: Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan
Round 6, Pick 188: Joshuah Bledsoe, S, Missouri
Round 6: Pick 197: William Sherman, OT, Colorado
Round 7: Pick 242: Tre Nixon, WR, UCF

Round 1, Pick 15: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

Mac Jones was supposed to be a top-three pick. No one saw him sliding past the 49’ers who ultimately took Trey Lance. However, he did. The fact that the Patriots sacrificed NOTHING to move up and get him, like it was anticipated they would need to do, was mind blowing. It also led to them picking others (detailed below) who are cornerstones on this team.

Mac Jones, coming out of college, was touted as a very pro-ready prospect. He led a very successful offense in college at Alabama. His draft profile showed great alignment to what the Patriots value;

• Won’t take unnecessary chances
• Very confident with placement throws
• Feel in the pocket to avoid pressure
• Perfect placement
• Throwing players open
• Ability to throw above linebackers with touch
• Willing to get rid of the ball instead of making a mistake

Sound familiar to another successful Patriots QB?

Some of the knocks on him were around his body type, arm strength, grit, and poise.

He answered the challenge; 3,801 yards, 22 TD’s, 11 INT’s, 67.6% completion rating. He has room to grow but the things we saw on the field in 2021 give us reason to be excited.

Round 2, Pick 38: Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

Oh, hey, another Alabama draft pick. I joke - but, seeing Barmore slide to 38 was astonishing. His draft profile said it all; “Attack oriented…violent hands….talent”. Explosive first steps, great technique, instinctive… Barmore can do it all. The team and fans were very excited to draft him and he proved us all right with his first year on the field.

This man was considered the consensus best, or 2nd best, DT in the draft and fell due to some “sources” saying he lacked intelligence and was a wildcard. To be, this was ridiculous. He said the right things in the media, did not get in trouble, and was a professional his entire first year. Their loss, our gain.

46 tackles, (23 solo, 23 ast), and 1.5 sacks don’t tell the full story. Barmore was a force on the field. Him and Judon terrorized opponent running backs and QB’s.

His future is bright and the fact that we could draft him and Jones, two first rounders, were key to this draft.

Round 3, Pick 96: Ronnie Perkins, DE, Oklahoma

If we pretend we drafted Rhamondre Stevenson with this pick, you could argue that our first three draft picks were 100/100, A+. But, that’s not the truth.

Ronnie Perkins had concerns in college, especially with a failed drug test. He was inactive for 13 games and put on IR in December.

His draft profile is mixed; with some amazed at his quick production in little games, others worried he is just an “average” athlete with a great motor. I argue that motor > talent at this point in the draft, but I'm a guy at home…not an NFL scout.

The future could be bright for Perkins in 2022, but that is all speculation. The tools are there, the training is there, and the Patriots famously said the jump from year one to year two is the biggest indication of a player's future.

Round 4, Pick 120: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma

Rhamondre Stevenson. What a guy. 6’0, 235, “wrecking ball of a runner who tends to be all fight and no flight between the hash marks,” according to his draft profile. It then goes on to remark “willful and belligerent running style”. Yeah, we saw that throughout 2021.

Rhamondre + Damien Harris were a force to be reckoned with throughout the season. 133 carries, 606 yards, 5 touchdowns as a runner. 14 catches (18 targets) and 123 yard receiving complemented that rushing attack nicely.

He says the right things, has a great attitude, and is a violent runner. He is also pretty shifty, and it will be nice to see how he develops from year one to year two.

Round 5, Pick 177: Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan

The jury is out on Cameron McGrone who did not play at all - still recovering from a torn ACL in 2020. His draft profile discusses his strengths; that he can play well, and weaknesses that deal with narrow vision, and little game action.

With our exodus of linebacker talent, and a huge need to improve at this position, Cameron can’t really be a downgrade from our latter-half 2021 LB corps.

Round 6, Pick 188: Joshuah Bledsoe, S, Missouri

“Burned for too many touchdowns” is not the ideal draft profile of your next starting safety. Joshuah missed the whole season so the tape is out on him. The safety in the Patriot’s system is crucial; they need to keep the action in front of them. With Dugger, McCourty, and even Miles Bryant on the roster? I don’t see Joshuah making an impact.

Round 6: Pick 197: William Sherman, OT, Colorado

Drafted and waived and put on the practice squad - Will is not a factor for 2022.

Round 7: Pick 242: Tre Nixon, WR, UCF

The Ernie Adams pick. I wish I could say he was a stud but he is a practice squad player.

SEASON STATISTICS

Written fat-lip-lover

OFFENSIVE STATS

After last season's offensive struggles, it seemed only fitting that there would be some bounce back progression, with multiple players having another season under their belts, no big names lost due to COVID, a certain rush-first, pass-less quarterback being let go, and a whole extra game to add stats. However, I don't think many expected this large of a step forward with a rookie quarterback and no all star cast around him.

With most quarterbacks not named Cam Newton, all of the passing numbers were bound to improve. However, to go from 24th in the league to 5th in passing completion, 30th to 14th in passing yards, and 23rd to 5th in Net Yards per Pass Attempt, paints a very detailed image in how disciplined and effective the quarterback and offensive staff were with adjusting Jones to the professional level, resulting in Jones posting the 8th best pass completion rate in the league, one spot ahead of TB12.

Additionally, this came stacked with a more nuanced and strategic rushing attack, utilizing multiple backs of different skill sets and a broad blocking scheme that resulted in increasing the rush scoring on less yards and less attempts. The backfield consisted of the shifty Damien Harris leading the way (10th in rushing yards and 2nd in rush TDs), the bruising Rhamondre Stevenson (who managed to crack the top 40 for yards, TDs, yards per rush and yards per game), and Brandon Bolden coming in as a change of place or injury fill admirably at times.

And while the patriots didn't manage a 1,000 yard receiver, or have any big names stand out in particular, the corps still helped solidify Mac Jones as the best rookie QB in the league, and hopefully will utilize the offseason to come together and take a leap forward for 2022.

Offensive	2021 (League Rank)	2020 (Rank)
Passing Yards	3857 (14)	2890 (30)
Pass NY/A	6.9 (Nice)(7)	6.1 (23)
Rushing Yards	2151 (8)	2346 (4)
Rush YPA	4.4 (12)	4.7 (8)
Yards/Drive	34.3 (11)	33.1 (17)
Points/Drive	2.54 (6)	1.92 (24)
Turnovers	23 (17)	19 (14)

DEFENSIVE STATS

After a relatively middle of the road defensive season in 2020, the Patriots utilized a series of acquisitions to bolster their linebacking corps, and improved their secondary to the upper echelon of the league. I'm sure the improved offense helped the defense step up their abilities, but no credit should be taken from the defense or from Belichick, Patricia, and the rest of the defensive coaching staff.

Across the board, the Patriots proved to have one of the most potent defenses, leading the league in field goal percentage allowed and rushing TDs allowed, taking second in the league for points allowed, drive percentage allowing a score, drive % ending with a turnover and red zone stops, as well as third in the league for turnovers, first downs allowed from penalties, and yards allowed per play.

The passing defense was the obvious shining star of the team this season, placing second in the league for yards allowed, yards per attempt, QB rating allowed, pass completion percentage, interceptions, pick sixes and passes blocked, as well as leading the league in interceptions per pass attempt.

The rushing defense simultaneously improved greatly from the linebacker and DT additions, allowing half as many rushing TDs and the same amount of yards with one extra game played on the previous season.

I think the two most telling defensive stats highlighting the defense's ability to stay disciplined and focused in high pressure situations are the first downs allowed from penalties at 21 (tied for 3rd), meaning they rarely jumped or made a mistake when the drive mattered, and the red zone scoring percentage of 47.9% (tied for second), meaning they were in the elite level of stopping teams that drove within their own 20.

Defensive	2021 (League Rank)	2020 (Rank)
Passing Yards	3181 (2)	3557 (8)
Pass NY/A	5.5 (2)	6.9 (23)
Rushing Yards	2103 (22)	2103 (26) (Yes, the number is correct)
Rush YPA	4.5 (25)	4.5 (20)
Yards/Drive	29.9 (9)	35.9 (25)
Points/Drive	1.56 (2)	2.16 (16)
Turnovers	30 (3)	22 (10)

SPECIAL TEAMS

As a unit, the special teams was nothing of major note, coming in the middle of the league for most all relevant stats related to punting, kicking, receiving both, and defending both. However, some notable individual performances would be Nick Folk, who co-led the league in scoring with the Raiders' Daniel Carlson at 150 points, and once again our boy Gunner Olszewski, who was near leading the league in both punt return yards (309 and tied for 3rd) and yards per punt return (11.9 and 2nd in the league).

LINK TO 32/32 HUB