Tim Walton and Matt Patricia’s defense is never very flashy. They don’t force a bunch of turnovers. Their 11 forced turnovers this season ranked 69th at the start of the game against UCLA, and were not added to in the win. They’re rock solid about making plays in the backfield. Their 25 sacks and 56 tackles for a loss rank 14th and 38th in the nation this season. They didn’t get a sack against UCLA, but did get five tackles for a loss.
All this defense does is get stops, and they get stops where they matter the most.