Sack Series - Back-To-Back Sacks pt. 1

In order to understand who was responsible for each of the 7 sacks that were produced against Miami, I am going to break down all 7 of the sacks (and the 1 QB hit). I will look at all aspects of the play, and give credit where credit is due. Check back this bye week for more...

Twice in this game, New England produced back-to-back sacks, and in both instances the first sack came on a 2nd and 10 situation. This is what I was talking about with my theory of selective aggression. The Patriots defense looks at 2nd and 10 as an opportunity to de-rail an offense's possession with a sack or a pressured throw. However, its not a down that you want to take chances because you want to at least force a 3rd down.

The defensive captains and veterans are keenly aware of these key situations because Belichick preaches the importance of situational football every day. Guys like Wilfork and Mayo are able to feel the heightened importance of certain plays, and therefore they are able to show up in these big moments. Let's take a look at the 2nd and 10 play first:

As you can see, The Patriots are in Nickel, playing cover-2 with #25 Chung and #28 Gregory. Each of the CBs #32 McCourty, #26 Martin, and #24 Arrington are in man-to-man against WRs. #54 Dont'a Hightower has inside leverage on the TE Fasano, and he plays an underneath technique after forcing an outside release. Also, #51 Mayo has Bush out of the backfield.

Overall, New England is in the right coverage to neutralize the vertical routes on the outside, but Hartline does beat McCourty on a subtle stop-and-go. Chung seems pre-occupied with helping on Fasano, and Tannehill may have had a chance to hit Hartline downfield. Still, the real problem for Miami is that Trevor Scott wins a 1-on-1 battle off the edge. Let's see how that was set up though:

The Patriots only rush the front-4, and quite honestly, #75 Wilfork and #95 Jones are not really rushing the QB. Jones' primary responsibility here is to jam Reggie Bush on the release. Wilfork's primary job is to draw a double-team block, disengage, and spy the QB. Wilfork sets up for #99 Trevor Scott to beat the Tackle on a speed rush, and he doesn't disappoint. There is no LB in the middle of the field, so Vince actually serves as a clog in the central passing lane. He's just watching Tannehill, waiting to bat a pass down or clean up the scramble (as he does here). 

Overall, most of the defensive players have very conservative assignments (i.e. cover-2), but Belichick turns one guy (Scott) loose in hopes that he will come up big. The scheme sets Scott up to get a 1-on-1 battle, and although he doesn't come up with the sack, Wilfork has the good sense to anticipate the situation and finish the job. That's situational football.