It happened week after week after week, it seemed. The Patriots were attacked on the edges of their defense by opposing running games.
They gave up 197 yards in Week 7 to the Niners. They allowed another 186 to the Rams in Week 14. The very next week they gave up a whopping 250 yards on the ground to a below-average Dolphins rushing attack. Each included breakdowns on the edges, where Bill Belichick's outside linebackers go to work.
Typically that's thought of as a pass-rushing position, and it is. It should be. But when teams have access to 4.