Taking it easy?

The old sports adage goes: The best defense is a great offense.

For the New England Patriots, I'm afraid that strategy may have weakened the defense. Think about it. In earlier games this season, the defense had been able to relax a bit, because Tom Brady and co. kept the Pats in the lead. This past Monday, the Baltimore Ravens defense held the Patriots, and the Ravens' offense was able to run all over the field. I'm afraid the Pats' defense has grown soft after all the massive leads the offense has handed them.

However, when push came to shove, in the fourth quarter, the D stopped the Ravens' run game. Maybe they were just saving something for the end.