New England Patriots fans were furious following the first-half defensive meltdown by the team in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. It even went as far as fans demanding for defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington to be fired.
The defense has struggled throughout the season, despite keeping many of the key players that made up a top-10 unit from a year ago. Granted, defensive tackle Christian Barmore missed most of the season due to a blood clot diagnosis, and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley went down with a torn pectoral muscle.
But it’s hard to excuse just how badly the unit has fallen off a cliff since former head coach Bill Belichick was sent packing. Covington, a first-time defensive coordinator, has struggled to make in-game adjustments, and there have been far too many times when the unit comes out flat.
That was definitely the case on Sunday as Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completely destroyed Covington’s defense by going 20-of-27 for 247 yards and three touchdowns in just two quarters of action.
Here’s what Patriots fans were saying after the team went into the locker room down 24-0 at halftime: