FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots defense prides itself on playing dominant football. The fact that it didn’t happen in the second half last weekend against the Buffalo Bills still stings.
That’s why players can’t wait to play come this weekend in Baltimore.
The Patriots were outscored 28-7 in the final two quarters in their loss to the Bills. For the defense, the second half left a poor taste in their mouths that has lingered throughout this week. Patriots defensive play caller Zak Kuhr said that the team’s coaches and players are eager to show they can do better this weekend against the Ravens.
“All the guys want the taste out of their mouth from this past weekend,” Kuhr said on Thursday. “I think they’re excited, they’re eager to get back out there to play just good defensive football. There’s a lot of disappointment with all of us, coaches, players, all of them. And I think everybody just wants to get back out there and get that taste out of their mouth.”
The Patriots head into this matchup as one of the top defensive units in the NFL. They rank seventh in the league in scoring (19.7), seventh in total defense, fifth in run defense, and 15th in pass defense.
However, the unit didn’t look like a top defense in the second half last weekend.
Kuhr’s group came out firing, holding the Bills to one touchdown in the first half. Buffalo didn’t have a first down in the first quarter as the Patriots stopped the run and the pass. Once halftime was over, however, that certainly wasn’t the case.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen finished with three passing touchdowns, and running back James Cook scored two rushing touchdowns. Buffalo scored five straight touchdowns against the Patriots as they mounted a comeback, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit.
Now, with a tough matchup on deck with the Ravens, Kuhr said he wants his players to focus on doing their jobs and not stepping outside of their responsibilities to try to make big plays.
“Hats off to those guys. They played better than us in that second half,” Kuhr said. “We start out fast. I think one thing we had to do better at is just responding to the potential that adversity came our way. We just gotta respond a little bit better. And again, just stay within your job. As that moment comes up, guys want to make the play to get the momentum back. ‘Okay, well, hey, don’t leave your job doing that.’
“And like I said, guys want to get that taste out of their mouth. And I think they’re really excited to get back out there, fix that.”
