"New England has struggled to stop the run this season, and everyone knows winning in the postseason is usually determined by which team dominates on the ground. Because of the Patriots' subpar run defense, there's a sense of concern about the team in the postseason. However, ESPN reporter Dan Graziano recently pointed out that New England is only bad against the run when the defense is missing Milton Williams."
"The big defensive tackle signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Patriots in March in free agency. He got injured in the team's Week 11 game against the Jets and didn't return until Sunday's season finale against the Dolphins. That likely explains a lot about why the Patriots struggled so badly against the run from Weeks 12 through 17."
The New England Patriots finished the regular season 14-3 and enter the playoffs as the AFC No. 2 seed. The team struggled to stop the run during parts of the season, creating postseason concerns because running dominance often decides playoff games. Defensive tackle Milton Williams was injured in Week 11 and missed several games, coinciding with the worst run defense stretch from Weeks 12 through 17. Williams signed a four-year, $104 million contract and returned in the season finale against the Dolphins. His presence on the interior correlates with markedly better run defense, easing concerns as the Patriots begin postseason play.
Read at Musket Fire
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]