The New England Patriots have been to eight Super Bowls already, and that is tied with for the most appearances in the final game of the season with three other franchises. When they make their 9th appearance in the biggest game of the year, in Super Bowl LI, they will surpass the Steelers, Cowboys, and the Broncos.
They have a pretty good team yet again. Tom Brady is leading the way on the offensive side of the ball while the defense is working like a well-oiled machine with Belichick and Patricia leading the way from the sidelines. But, where did they actually rank on offense and defense during the regular season?
Regular Season – The Patriots are ranked as the 7th best rushing attack in the NFL. LeGerrette Blount led the team with 18 TDs on the season and set the franchise record when it comes to rushing TDs. When it comes to passing attack, a Brady-led bunch is 4th in the NFL. When we combine that, we get a 4th ranked squad looking at the total yards per game and 3rd ranked team when it comes to most points per game.
On defense, the Patriots have allowed the 8th least rushing yards, while their pass defense ranked 12th out of 32 teams in the league. They were again 8th in the ranking when it comes to total yards allowed which is pretty good, but not as good as their position when it comes to points allowed. In that department, the Patriots had the first spot in NFL as they have allowed the least points per match during the regular season.
Playoffs – In the postseason on offense, the Patriots are again ranked as the 7th best rushing squad, which is not that impressive considering that only 12 teams are making the Playoffs. They have 2nd best passing attack, 3rd best total yards per match and 2nd points per duel average. All great stats, besides that rushing attack.
When it comes to defense, the Patriots were average defending against the rush as they are 6th in the Playoffs, their pass defense is 2nd overall. They are allowing 4th least yards per game in the postseason, but again, they are the number 1 overall defense when it comes to allowed points per duel. In both regular season and the postseason, they are allowing the least PPG.
