Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals came down to defense, and when it mattered most, the New England Patriots‘ defense did its part to secure the Week 12 win.
The ball was in Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco’s hands in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. It initially looked like Flacco and the Bengals were marching. But then the pressure started to get home up front, and the coverage tightened in the secondary, leading to a failed fourth-down pass and turnover on downs for a ceremonial kneeldown to end the game.
Veteran cornerback Carlton Davis III, who has been a solid addition to the defensive backfield, had three tremendous pass breakups in the game. However, the biggest play of the game was cornerback Marcus Jones jumping in front of one of Flacco’s throws and snagging a pick-six to put the Patriots out in front.
It was a game-changing play that turned the tide in a game that was surprisingly leaning in the other direction out of the gates. When it comes to defense, here were the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades for the Patriots in the 26-20 victory:
Top five PFF graded players
- CB Carlton Davis III – 88.7
- CB Marcus Jones – 88.1
- LB Jack Gibbens – 79.7
- DT Eric Gregory – 73.8
- S Jaylinn Hawkins – 69.1
Bottom five PFF graded players
- DE K’Lavon Chaisson – 29.2
- LB Robert Spillane – 47.0
- DE Elijah Ponder – 47.3
- LB Christian Elliss – 48.6
- S Dell Pettus – 51.0
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Best and worst defensive PFF grades for Patriots in win over Bengals
