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The 3-0 record is one of the few similarities that this 2013 Patriots team has to the '07 squad. Of course Tom Brady was the quarterback and Bill Belichick was the head coach, but the Patriots of '07 road a high flying offense to a perfect record (of course rendered meaningless by a 17-14 loss to the Giants in Superbowl XLVI).
The 2013 Patriots will not have a perfect season, but to this point, they are winning, and unlike the Patriots of old, they're doing it with defense.
In their season opener, the Pats narrowly squeaked past the Buffalo Bills with a game winning field goal in the dying seconds of the game. In their home opener in week 2 against the Jets, the Patriots won a sloppy game after what seemed more like a punting contest than a pro football game, 13-10. In both match ups, the defense held up their end of the bargain, which is why the Patriots finished week 2 with a 2-0 record.
This past week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't put up much of a fight. After taking a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, the Patriots scored 23 unanswered points, including 2 TD passes to Kenbrell Thompkins, and took the game, decidedly, 23-3. The Buccaneers seemed to squander early opportunities to put points on the board, and after an ill-advised throw from Martin Freeman late in the first half was intercepted by Aqib Talib, leading to a late-in-the-half field goal by Stephen Gostowski putting the Patriots up 17-3, the Buccs all but stopped playing.
The Patriots are use to being at the top of the ranks when it comes to offense. In 2012 the Pats were ranked 1st in the NFL with 34.8 points per game and 427.9 total offensive yards per game. In 2011, they were ranked 2nd in total offense, and 3rd in points per game. They were ranked 1st in points per game in 2010, they were in the top 10 in terms of total offense and scoring in 2009 and 2008 (yes, even with Matt Cassel), and of course, the offense set multiple records in 2007. After 3 games in 2013 the Patriots offense are ranked 17th with 19.7 points per game, and 17th with 340.3 total yards per game - but most concerning, the Pats are ranked 22nd in passing, with just 217.7 pass yards per game.
The offensive side of the ball has seen dropped passes, missed routes, bad throws, and an overall angry version of Tom Brady.
On the flip side, the Patriot's defense is 2nd in the league giving up 11.3 points per game to their opponents. The defense has made strides from the past few years - timely turnovers are still a big part of the team's defensive success, but now they are getting off the field on (most) 3rd downs. They are still solid in the red-zone, and overall, the development Pats fans have expected from this defense has been evident in the first 3 games of the season.
How much of the Patriots' defensive success is due to the lack of a true offensive opponent? It's a fair question, thus far - the Pats have faced two rookie quarterbacks, and Martin Freeman, whose accuracy and decision making on Sunday could not challenge the defense for a full 60 minutes. The real test of the Pats defensive strength should come next week against an Atlanta Falcons team that must be frustrated after losing 27-23 to the 3-0 Miami Dolphins. Matt Ryan and the 1-2 Falcons are meeting the Patriots in Atlanta - the Falcons are 0-2 on the road, but their one victory did come at home. The Falcons are looking for their offense to have a break out game, can the Pats defense step up to the plate? It's yet to be determined.
One thing to look forward to if you're looking for a bright side to the Pats offense this week, Rob Gronkowski should make his return. His presence should be huge for the Patriots, especially when they get into the red zone. One thing is for certain, the offense will eventually have to steal a game, the defense has stolen the first three for the Pats, we should see if that side of the ball is for real this Sunday.
