"The 1-2 New England Patriots are plagued with issues. The offensive line play has been wildly inconsistent, the loss of Christian Gonzalez has been felt through the first few weeks, and their five turnovers against the Steelers were their most since 2000. There's little doubt the team has issues, but one under-the-radar problem has been particularly prevalent over the past few weeks: tackling."
"After free agent addition Robert Spillane missed a career high five tackles in Week 2, it didn't seem things could get much worse for a struggling Patriots tackling defense. Inevitably, it did. The team broke a streak on Sunday for their most missed tackles since 2021, a second slap in the face after they lost the turnover battle five to one."
"Their unfortunate affinity for missing tackles as a unit is incredibly concerning, especially considering the Steelers' offense is largely devoid of talent. The team will get reinforcements in the form of Jahlani Tavai later in the year, but that's where it starts and ends. Jabrill Peppers' release came as a shock, but he's the exact type of player the team could use right now."
New England's defense has produced a high missed-tackle rate, recording 14 missed tackles and a 23.3% rate in one game, the second-highest single-game rate in the NextGenStats database going back to 2016. Offensive line inconsistency and the absence of Christian Gonzalez have compounded defensive problems. The team committed five turnovers against the Steelers, their most since 2000. Robert Spillane missed a career-high five tackles and carries a 32.1 PFF grade. Christian Elliss rates near the bottom of eligible linebackers with a 29.6 overall grade. Jahlani Tavai is expected later in the year; Jabrill Peppers' release removed an immediate help option.
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