Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower is nursing a knee injury ahead of Sunday's game against the Packers.

Analysis: All eyes for this one remain on the two quarterbacks. It's Brady-Rodgers, two of the all-time greats going toe-to-toe. For that reason, most people have completely skimmed past these two defenses which is, to some degree, completely understandable. New England ranks 25th in the NFL in total defense surrendering 382.8 YPG. Likewise, Aaron Rodgers has Green Bay's offense netting the fifth-best total offense at 412.1 YPG. Logic points in the direction opposite of Belichick's defense this week.…read more

The Patriots enter their Week 8 matchup with the Bills as the league's 25th-ranked total defense (389.9 YPG).

Analysis: New England has been a matchup defense for the last several years now and 2018 has been no different. Looking ahead to Sunday's action, the Patriots could be a strong play considering the Bills and their major offensive question marks line up across the other side of the ball. The decision to insert New England into your lineup this week has less to do with Bill Belichick's squad and more to do with Sean McDermott's bunch. Buffalo enters the matchup with the worst-ranked scoring offense (11.6…read more

New England is tied for sixth in the NFL in takeaways (12) and will face the Bears in Week 7.

Analysis: The Patriots have given up 24.7 points per game this season, ranking 18th in that category. They'll take on a Chicago offense that has the 10th-best offense in terms of points per game (27.8). The Bears are coming off a 28-point outburst in Week 6 and should be looking forward to facing a New England defense that gave up 40 points to Kansas City a week prior. If game flow allows for it, expect the Bears to attack the New England defense via the run, as Chicago brings the NFL's eighth-best…read more

Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe is dealing with a groin injury ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs.

Analysis: If Rowe is unable to recover in time to play Sunday or is limited by the injury, an already difficult task of slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' electrifying offense will become even tougher. After suffering embarrassing loss to the Chiefs in the 2017 season opener, New England will get another chance in primetime to make amends. That could give the New England defense a little extra boost heading into the showdown, but probably not enough for fantasy owners to stream them with much…read more

Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe (groin) is listed as questionable ahead of Thursday's game against the Colts.

Analysis: New England's defensive unit had a strong bounce back performance in Week 4, yielding only seven points and 172 total yards to a previously unbeaten Miami squad. That showing was helped out by an overwhelmingly dominant display of time of possession from the Patriots offense, but the New England defense was nothing short of exceptional in Week 4. It's unrealistic to expect an inconsistent and relatively mediocre unit to replicate such a suffocating performance Thursday given the Colts' recent…read more

Patriots safety Patrick Chung (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Analysis: The Patriots could use a return to Foxborough coming off consecutive road losses. It's not the first time New England has gotten off to a slow start, but this feels a bit different. The team has looked out of sorts, especially defensively. New England has given up 20 or more points in each game this year and yields little to no pass rush. Former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is no longer in the mix to correct the wrongs and there seems to be some major holes in the backend. This team made…read more

Patriots safety Eric Rowe (groin) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the Lions.

Analysis: A fair amount of concern is riding on Rowe's status as the Patriots don't yield the deepest of secondaries across the league. Through two games, the Pats rank 23rd in passing defense surrendering 268.0 yards per contest. With a gunslinger like Matthew Stafford across the line of scrimmage, that number figures to go up if Rowe can't give it a go. Despite New England's success over the past two decades, the defense has been a bit underwhelming in recent seasons.

The Patriots escaped Week 1 action with a 27-20 win over the Texans on Sunday.

Analysis: New England registered three takeaways en route to stifling Deshaun Watson during the quarterback's first-game since tearing his ACL last season. The Patriots let up their fair share of yards, 325 of them to be exact. This is not a foreign concept. Bill Belichick team's surrender yards, but they do a great job of keeping opponents out of the end zone. Week 2's date with Jacksonville will yield a bit of a different game plan from New England than we saw in Week 1. Expect the Pats to load the box…read more

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy (calf) and safety Devin McCourty (shoulder) are listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jets.

Analysis: Both Van Noy and McCourty would represent significant losses for the Patriots defense, and are two of the unit's most impactful players. The Jets offense has managed only 26 points over the last three games have also committed seven turnovers. Bryce Petty being under center for the Jets gives the Patriots a major advantage, and the New York offense has been stagnant at best since starter Josh McCown broke his hand. New England's defense ranks in the middle of the league in both sacks and…read more

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills with a calf injury.

Analysis: Van Noy has sat out the last two games and was the team's leading tackler at the time of the injury, and his return would provide a major boost to the defense. The Patriots defense has struggled against the Dolphins and Steelers the last couple of weeks as they have dealt with a multitude of injuries, but they do appear a bit healthier heading into Week 16. It's difficult to predict what the New England defense, but they are facing a risk-averse QB in Tyrod Taylor and an offense that is likely…read more

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Steelers due to a calf injury.

Analysis: The Patriots defense is dealing with a multitude of injuries that include DE Trey Flowers (ribs), CB Stephon Gilmore (ankle) and DT Deatrich Wise (foot) all listed as questionable. The adversity could not come at much worse of a time for New England as they face Pittsburgh on the road, which is a difficult matchup at full strength. Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell and WR Antonio Brown seem slated for big games Sunday, especially after the Patriots gave up 362 yards of offense to the Dolphins and were…read more

Defensive end Trey Flowers has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Bills with a rib injury.

Analysis: The loss of Flowers is a big one for New England, as he leads the team with six sacks on the season and has also forced two fumbles. The Patriots defense continued their impressive run of performances against the Dolphins last week, and have not given up more than 17 points in a game since their Week 4 loss to the Panthers. The unit started off the season as arguably the worst defense in the NFL, but their only real blemish at this point is that they still give up 385.5 yards per game…read more

Defensive tackle Malcom Brown is questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins with an ankle injury.

Analysis: The Patriots defense started the season as one of the worst in the NFL, but are allowing only 12.5 points per game since Week 4. The group still gives up a league-worst 401.9 yards per game and is in the bottom half of the league with 13 takeaways. New England has another favorable matchup against the Dolphins in Week 12, who average less than 16 points and 300 yards per game, while also being tied for fourth-worst in the NFL in giveaways (17). It would have been difficult to see the Patriots…read more

Defensive tackle Malcom Brown was a limited participant in practice this week and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Analysis: The Patriots put in a solid performance against the anemic Broncos in Week 10, but will face the Raiders in Mexico City this week. In addition to the locale, this is an intriguing matchup because the New England defense hasn't allowed more than 17 points in a game since Week 4 after allowing 32/game through four games, but the team still allows a league worst 408.3 yards per game and especially struggles against the pass. The Raiders average only 21.8 points and feature a lackluster running…read more