The unsung heroes of the Patriots’ defense

It seems like every year the Patriots are able to piece together an effective, bend, don’t break defense with very few big name players on that side of the ball. This season was no different — the Patriots ranked seventh in the league in scoring defense, but they only had one defender selected to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team — cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

While Gilmore is one of the better cornerbacks in the game, he can’t do it all by himself. The Patriots’ defense is a collective effort and they always have a handful of talented players that don’t necessarily get the shine they deserve.

Here are three players that greatly contributed to the Patriots defense this season, while potentially flying under the radar:

J.C. Jackson is an undrafted rookie corner from the University of Maryland. After making the 53-man roster back in August, Jackson has steadily climbed his way into the starting lineup. Since Week 12, Jackson has yet to play fewer than 79.2 percent of the defensive snaps.

Among all Patriots defenders who saw at least 20 targets thrown their way, Jackson ranked second in opposing yards per attempt with 5.8 yards per attempt, according to Sports Info Solution. He also gave up a passer rating of 37.7 for the regular season — for reference, throwing an incomplete pass on every down would net a passer of 39.6.

Furthermore, over the 43 targets that Jackson saw this season, he allowed just 248 yards and intercepted three passes. That’s one hell of a rookie season for a guy that wasn’t even drafted.

It’s hard to say who Jackson will primarily be guarding in the Super Bowl because the Rams get creative with how they line up their receivers, but Jackson will need to make big plays — like the one below — if the Patriots want to slow down the talented receiver trio of Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, and Josh Reynolds.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. About halfway through the 2016 season, the Patriots traded a sixth-round pick to the Detroit Lions for linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Two seasons later, Van Noy is one of the key contributors to New England’s defense.

Van Noy led all Patriots linebackers in snaps this year, playing 90.7 percent of the Patriots’ defensive snaps. The only other defensive players that played more snaps than him were Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty.

Van Noy turned in the best season of his career in 2018. Van Noy had 92 tackles, five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception, and two fumble recoveries — one was returned for a touchdown. He also allowed just 6.5 yards per attempt, which was third on the team behind Jackson and Gilmore.

In the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Van Noy had his best game of the season. He finished the game with 10 total tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble. Van Noy did damage as a blitzer against the Chiefs, which is how he collected the first of his two sacks.

Against the Rams, New England will need more of the same from Van Noy. Throughout the regular season Jared Goff struggled under pressure, but he did hit a clutch throw to avoid a sack before the game-winning kick in the NFC Championship Game. Actually getting him on the ground or eliminating passing lanes for Goff will be the key to the Patriots’ blitz success — Van Noy will have a huge role in that.

Patrick Chung has spent almost his entire 10-year career with the New England Patriots as a jack-of-all-trades safety. Whether it’s pass coverage, run defense, or even pass rushing, Chung has always been a solid player for New England.

In 2018, Chung had a strangely efficient year rushing the passer — strange in the sense that he’s a safety putting the heat on the quarterback. Among all Patriots’ players to rush the passer at least 40 times, Chung led the team with a pressure percentage of 14.3 percent, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Chung also ranked fourth on the team with an opposing yards per attempt of 6.7 and had an interception. For the season, Chung had 84 tackles and one tackle for loss. He’s just a steady player that provides great communication and awareness for the Patriots’ pass defense.

It’s been a bit of a quiet postseason for Chung, but he did put up an impressive stat line against the Chargers. In that game, he had seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit.

All three of these players are going to be key for the Patriots as they try to take down the Rams in Super Bowl 53. The Rams have an explosive offense that won’t be slowed down unless all 11 Patriots defenders are on the same page. Jackson, Chung, and Van Noy are important pieces in their quest to bring home another Lombardi Trophy.