Mike Vrabel‘s New England Patriots allowed 53 net yards on 18 quarterback rush attempts through eight games, Musket Fire reported.
That 2.9-yard average per attempt is the number at the center of the question, and it comes against a schedule that already included two of the NFL’s top three rushing quarterbacks.
In the same season, Josh Allen carried 10 times for 121 yards and a touchdown and Buffalo rushed for 234 yards as a team in a 37-34 overtime win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium. Against New England, Allen finished with 4 net rushing yards on five attempts in Week 4, and Malik Willis was limited to one official rush attempt for 2 yards in Week 8.
How the Patriots’ mobile QB defense has performed through eight games
Across the full sample, New England allowed one quarterback rushing touchdown and an average of 2.25 quarterback rush attempts per game, according to Musket Fire. The per-quarterback breakdown:
Two opponents, Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins, finished with zero rushing attempts. Aaron Rodgers had one for 5 yards. Caleb Williams‘ five attempts for 18 yards were the second-highest total New England allowed, behind only Jacksonville, and Geno Smith’s two attempts went for minus-1 yard, the only negative total in the table.
Zone coverage is doing the work against running quarterbacks
Musket Fire described New England as a man-heavy defense that shifted the balance toward zone when it faced quarterbacks who hurt teams with their legs, a starting point built around Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III at cornerback.
The zone shift is the clearest explanation offered for the results. Musket Fire cited Evan Lazar‘s charting of a season-high 73% zone coverage rate against the Dolphins, with Willis recording zero scrambles in that game.
The tradeoff: Christian Gonzalez in zone and two run-first linebackers
Musket Fire described Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane as fast, physical linebackers central to New England’s run defense.
Rush lanes close quickly against that pair, which narrows the escape routes a quarterback finds once his first read is covered. Musket Fire’s assessment is that keeping opposing passers in the pocket forces them to earn yards and third-down conversions through the air.
The cost is real. Neither Elliss nor Spillane is a strong coverage linebacker, per Musket Fire, and Gonzalez’s man-coverage skill set is reduced when New England leans zone. The Patriots are trading some coverage upside for rush control.
Where the plan broke: Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars and the Bears
The results have not been clean across the board. Musket Fire reported that New England’s zone looks were beaten in losses to the Jaguars and Bears, and that the Patriots ranked 17th in defensive EPA per play through eight games while sitting ninth on offense at 5-3.
Trevor Lawrence is the only quarterback to reach 25 rushing yards against New England, with four attempts for 25 yards. That stands as the ceiling of the sample.
Both EPA figures come from the same eight-game stretch, per Musket Fire, and they separate the quarterback rushing results from the broader defensive output.
Drake Maye is on the same list the Patriots are trying to stop
The NFL’s top five rushing quarterbacks through Week 8, per Musket Fire: Allen with 270 yards, Jayden Daniels with 236, Willis with 225, Deshaun Watson with 217 and Drake Maye with 216.
New England’s own starter sits fifth, which puts the Patriots on both sides of the trend. They have faced two of the top three, Allen and Willis, and held both below their season production on the ground. Daniels and Watson round out that top five as league-wide context.
The schedule ahead: Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert, Bo Nix and two rematches
Musket Fire identified Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix as rushing quarterbacks still on New England’s schedule, along with rematches against Allen and Willis.
Buffalo’s 234 team rushing yards in the overtime win at SoFi Stadium show what the threat looks like when it is not contained. Allen accounted for 121 of those yards on 10 carries, and the Bills needed every one of them in a three-point game.
That is the test the Patriots’ approach will face again. New England enters Week 9 at 5-3 with five quarterback matchups remaining against players who run, and with a defensive plan that has produced 2.9 yards per attempt so far, according to Musket Fire.
