The offense gets most of the attention, but the Patriots’ unsung defense has been the main reason for their success

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The Patriots haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer or a 100-yard rusher this season. They’re fifth in the league in points allowed at 18.8 per game and sixth in total defense (300.8 yards per game). They’re one of two teams not to allow a rush of 20 yards or more. They rank ninth in fewest plays of 20 yards or more surrendered. Even with the outlier, ugly 35-6 loss to Jacksonville in Week 3 in which they allowed the Jaguars to go 5 for 5 in the red zone while Maye treated the football like a Goodwill donation item, the Patriots sit tied for seventh in red-zone touchdown percentage allowed (50 percent).

If you’re into advanced stats, the Patriots rank 10th in the NFL in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), according to For the Numbers’ Stats iQ.

By any measure, this defense is good.

The Patriots are the only team to hold Aaron Rodgers without a touchdown pass this season and his Steelers to fewer than 20 points. They forced A-Rod to turn it over twice and call out his coach’s play-calling like Big Pharma in a 20-3 win in Week 2. They contained Buffalo’s Josh Allen, despite playing without shutdown corner Christian Gonzalez and lineman Christian Barmore, sealing a 29-26 win by intercepting Allen.

They made Kirk Cousins, enjoying a Raiders resurrection that finds him tied for the NFL lead in touchdown passes (14), resemble regular Kirk Cousins, despite fielding only three healthy cornerbacks. The Patriots stand as the lone team not to allow Cousins to throw multiple TD passes this season.

Last Sunday, they forced Geno Smith to throw his first interception of 2026 on a critical second-half drive after twice crushing the Jets’ hopes on fourth downs to backstop a 26-19 victory.

“I just think for us as a defense we feel like we are a dominant defense,” said Patriots safety Kevin Byard. “And we want to be able to put on a dominant performance. It just didn’t feel like that [last Sunday].”

As coach Mike Vrabel pointed out, the Patriots enjoyed some favorable fortune. A Jets touchdown on their opening drive got wiped out by a picayune offensive pass interference penalty — a theme this NFL season.

It’s unfair to call New England a no-name defense, but there aren’t many household names outside of Gonzalez, Byard, and Milton Williams. The defense doesn’t have a catchy cognomen like the Steel Curtain, the Legion of Boom, or the Bogeymen. It just does its job consistently well, no matter the personnel.

The trademark traits of the Zak Kuhr-coordinated defense are that it’s multiple and malleable. This unit is more aggressive than the Bill Belichick-brand defenses of yore, but its ability to morph and throw opponents off balance feels familiar.

The sack Williams registered on Sunday, his first of the season, exemplifies that. Robert Spillane acted as if he were going to blitz through the A-gap between the right guard and the center, occupying Jets center Josh Myers, before dropping back. Christian Elliss fired through the hole that created, forcing the running back to engage. That left Williams and Barmore with one-on-one matchups, squeezing the pocket.

Now, the Patriots’ defensive brain trust will match wits and schemes with one of the most innovative and erudite offensive minds in the league, Bears coach Ben Johnson, on a short week. Big Brain Ben always offers a diabolical wrinkle or two.

He’s the architect of a Bears offense that’s No. 1 in rushing yards per game and time of possession, ranks fifth in total offense, and scored 59 points in a game this season.

“Ben Johnson is going to want to score as many points as possible,” said Byard, who played for the Bears last season. “He’s going to want to run the ball, be physical, take shots in the pass game. So, it’s going to be a challenge for our team, for sure.”

Maye’s fellow class of 2024 quarterback Caleb Williams returned from injury and threw for 305 yards and a touchdown last Sunday while setting a career high for completion percentage, going 30 for 36 (83.3 percent). Williams can be a Chicago improv act.

“He can make plays with his arm, on the ground. He can throw the ball anywhere,” said Patriots safety Craig Woodson. “He’s a great playmaker, and you’ve got to take that into account when you’re coming up with a scheme to defend this guy.”

This won’t be an easy task.

But the Patriots’ defense remains easy to count on and not easy to score on.

From the source Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @cgasper and on Instagram @cgaspersports.