The Patriots enter their season finale at Houston with almost an even split between playing base defensive alignments and sub packages this season.
Because of the style of play the Texans employ, with a strong passing attack, it is likely that sub packages will be utilized more often Sunday.
Last week, the Patriots projected to be in their base alignment for most of the game against the run-first Jaguars. They were in base or short-yardage packages on 20 of 30 first-half snaps. But after jumping ahead, the second half was mostly played in sub packages.
The usage of sub packages has been charted throughout the season. Including penalties that don’t count as official plays, and excluding some plays like end-of-half kneeldowns, here is the breakdown:
Base defense: 444 of 907 (48.9 percent)
Sub package: 441 of 907 (48.6 percent)
Short yardage: 22 of 907 (2.4 percent)
Because of the style of play the Texans employ, with a strong passing attack, it is likely that sub packages will be utilized more often Sunday.
Last week, the Patriots projected to be in their base alignment for most of the game against the run-first Jaguars. They were in base or short-yardage packages on 20 of 30 first-half snaps. But after jumping ahead, the second half was mostly played in sub packages.
The usage of sub packages has been charted throughout the season. Including penalties that don’t count as official plays, and excluding some plays like end-of-half kneeldowns, here is the breakdown:
Base defense: 444 of 907 (48.9 percent)
Sub package: 441 of 907 (48.6 percent)
Short yardage: 22 of 907 (2.4 percent)
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