New England Patriots Defense Must Carry Extra Weight for Injured Offense

December 4, 2015   ·   Erik Frenz   ·   Jump to comments

The New England Patriots have nearly reached critical mass with their injuries on offense. Now, the injury bug is beginning to take hold of the defense, with linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive lineman Dominique Easley both dealing with injuries.
But as the pieces have fallen off one-by-one on offense, the scales have started to tip toward the defensive side of the ball as the Patriots find new ways to win.
Early in the season, the Patriots were on pace to be one of the highest-scoring offenses in league history. With 249 points through the first seven games, the Patriots were averaging 35.6 points per game. At that rate, they would have finished with 569 points, which would have been the third-most all-time behind their 2007 season (589 points) and the Denver Broncos' 2013 season (606 points).
Instead, their pace has slowed to 31.5 points per game, which will leave them with 504 points on the season if they continue at this rate. For some perspectiv...

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