The New England Patriots didn’t come away with a victory in Sunday’s season finale, but their defense put up a respectable fight in the pouring snow against the rival New York Jets.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise considering the unit has been doing it all season. The defense has shown up week after week and stayed competitive, despite being bogged down with injuries.
Whenever the team seems to be down and out, there’s always a new face stepping up and making an impact on the field. On Sunday, it was rookie cornerback Alex Austin, who was the highest-graded defensive player for the Patriots in Week 18, per Pro Football Focus.
The Patriots defense did struggle against the Jets’ rushing attack with Breece Hall coming out of the backfield, but Austin and company completely shut down the passing game, holding Trevor Siemian to only eight completions and 70 passing yards.
Here are the top-10 defensive players for the Patriots in the final week of the regular season, per PFF:
10
DL Lawrence Guy Sr.
Grade: 65.0
9
CB Marco Wilson
Grade: 66.3
8
LB Ja'Whaun Bentley
Grade: 67.3
7
S Jabrill Peppers
Grade: 69.2
6
LB Mack Wilson Sr.
Grade: 70.0
5
LB Anfernee Jennings
Grade: 70.2
4
DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
Grade: 76.8
3
CB Jonathan Jones
Grade: 77.4
2
LB Jahlani Tavai
Grade: 78.0
1
CB Alex Austin
Grade: 81.5
