Bill Belichick has had some good defenses in his two decades coaching the New England Patriots. None had done what his D did to the New York Jets Sunday in a 30-14 win.
Facing a mono-ridden Gang Green offense led by quarterback Luke Falk, the Pats surrendered just 105 total yards of offense, 69 passing, 36 rushing. It’s the fewest yards allowed by the Patriots in 347 games under Belichick, including playoffs — the five closest performances all happened between 2003 and 2006, per NFL Research.
Sunday marked the first game in the Belichick era that the Patriots have held an opponent to fewer than 70 pass yards and fewer than 40 rush yards. The Patriots have allowed 17 points through the first three games of the season (T-6th-fewest in Super Bowl era) — fewest in Patriots‘ franchise history (previous low was 33 in 1979).
More impressive, the defense hasn’t given up a single touchdown. In Week 1, they held the Steelers to 3 total points. Last week, they shut out the woeful Dolphins. Sunday, the Jets scored their 14 points on special teams and defense.
Despite the near-perfect defensive start to the season, veteran Devin McCourty knows Belichick will pick at nits.