The road trip to Glendale ended in disaster for the New England Patriots during Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Their defense was exposed by the Cardinals’ ferocious ground game, and the offense continued to die from the same self-inflicted wounds every week. Penalties and bad pass protection led to the unit’s defeat and ultimately the Patriots’ 11th loss.
When the unit finally found its life in the fourth quarter, it was far too late for a strong comeback. The damage has already been done by a Cardinals offense that dominated New England’s defense from start to finish.
Here are the best and worst artists with at least 20 or more shots, per Pro Football Focus Notes:
Top 5 offenses
The offense didn’t come alive until the fourth quarter for the Patriots. With the game out of reach, they began to accelerate and quarterback Drake Maye shredded a limp Cardinals defense for 14 points in the quarter. One has to wonder what the game would have been like if they had used this strategy throughout the entire match.
last 5 offenses
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OT Védérian Lowe: 35.9
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C Ben Brown: 45.4
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WR Demario Douglas: 49.0
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G Layden Robinson: 52.3
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WR Ja’Lynn Polk: 53.4
This was a tough game for the New England offensive line. They couldn’t keep the pressure on Drake Maye and they continued to struggle with the same mistakes we’ve seen in previous weeks. Vederian Lowe was beaten several times for negative plays, and Ben Brown mishandled several snaps. The unit looked just as bad, if not worse, than it did all season.
Top 5 in defense
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LB Christian Elliss: 84.6
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CB Christian González: 84.1
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OLB Anfernée Jennings: 76.3
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CB Jonathan Jones: 75.1
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CB Marcus Jones: 73.8
The defense was a complete disaster against the Cardinals, but there were some bright spots, notably with cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Christian Elliss. Gonzalez could have solidified his spot on the Pro Bowl team by locking down Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. on several plays. It’s hard to argue he’s not in the top 10 after this performance.
Defense of the last 5
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DL Eric Johnson: 50.4
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S Kyle Dugger: 50.9
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DL Davon Godchaux: 52.2
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OF Yannick Ngakoué: 52.9
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S Brenden Schooler: 53.9
The Patriots allowed 163 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in this game. They also failed to put pressure on quarterback Kyler Murray, allowing him to scramble and keep the play alive with his legs. Inconsistent pass rush and overall poor tackling were the two biggest problems on defense for New England.
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This article was originally published on Patriots Wire: Patriots PFF Grades: Best and Worst Players vs. Cardinals
