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The have averaged 33 points a game through the first month of the season and heading into Thursday night's matchup against the , have the league's , behind only the . This is not news, of course, because for much of this century, the Patriots -- thanks in large part to the agele s wonder, -- have efficiently and consistently scored points. It's goes a long way in explaining the five titles in seven appearances. But there's more to the succe s story; we saw it most recently eight months ago when in Super Bowl LI, and two years before that, in Super Bowl XLIX, with cornerback . Bottom line: The Patriots defense has been integral to their championship runs. Here's a look at how those units ranked during the team's run to five Lombardi Trophies from 2001-2016 (via ): 2016: 16th2014: 12th2004: 7th2003: 2nd2001: 13thAnd here's how the offense ranked on those championship teams:2016: 2nd2014: 6th2004: 3rd2003: 14th2001: 11thTill last season, the Patriots' Super Bowl teams were well-balanced. And while itt was no secret that the 2016 squad had defensive shortcomings, the offseason would shore up those concerns. Here are the names added to the roster through free agency, the draft or via trade: , , , and . The Pats also re-signed Hightower and and decided against trading Butler. On paper, this group looked menacing. To the point that almost everyone -- NHL Carolina Hurricanes Men Jersey us included -- conceded the AFC to New England and immediately began trying to figure out which NFC outfit had a chance to slow them down in the Super Bowl. But Ealy was waived during preseason; Rivers landed on injured reserve with a torn ACL; Harris has been on the field for just seven snaps and Gilmore, once considered a shutdown corner with the , has been one of the Patriots' worst defenders. Lawrence Guy is the only new face that has played well. So yeah, no surprise here but the Patriots' defense is bad. But not only are they bad, they're the worst. That's right, -- worse than the , the and even the haple s . And things could get worse before they get better. New England's secondary is in shambles and Tampa Bay's offense ranks ninth in pa sing. Here are the QB's under the LEAST pre sure (sack/hurry/hit)-Can help sleep a bit more tonight NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) One more reason for concern: These teams lead the league in percentage of offensive of drives resulting in points - with a surprise at the top! NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) But Bill Belichick sounded almost optimistic this week when looking for silver linings from last Sunday's home lo s to the Patrik Puistola Kids Jersey . "Really throughout the game, I thought we were OK rushing the quarterback," Belichick told reporters. "We hit him a couple of times but he got the ball off, but I think the rush was competitive. I mean, obviously, it could be better. I'm not saying it was great, but there were times we beat blockers and got to the quarterback, got close to the quarterback, and a couple of times he got rid of the ball. . Anton Forsberg Kids Jersey .. I thought it was consistent." "Consistency" is the le ser known brother of "Do your job," something Belichick no doubt preached all week. Whether it takes is another matter, but here's the good news: These mistakes are fixable. The only question is can Brady and the offense carry the defense until these i sues are sorted? Don't sleep on the BucsIf you live outside Florida, it's easy overlook the Buccaneers. They last went to the playoffs in 2007 when Jon Gruden was the coach and Jeff Garcia was the quarterback. And from 2011-2015 the team cycled through three coaches, four starting quarterbacks, didn't have a winning season and finished dead last in the division every year. Everything changed in 2016 when Dirk Koetter replaced Lovie Smith; Tampa Bay went 9-7 and continued his march to full-fledged franchise quarterback. He ranked 15th last season among all pa sers, and through three games in 2017 he's seventh in terms of value per play, ahead of , Matt Ryan and . None of this , who has never faced a team coached by Koetter or an offense led by Winston. "With Winston, I think Koetter's done a great job with him in two years, probably, arguably as good as any coach has done with any quarterback in the first two years of a career," Belichick said this week, via TampaBay.com. "Some of that's the player, but certainly a lot of that's the guy coaching him, the guy working with him every day. I think Coach Koetter and his staff have done a great job there." As an a sistant, Koetter Nino Niederreiter Men Jersey has faced Belichick on three occasions; as offensive coordinator, he lost to Belichick in the 2007 playoffs. He lost again with Jacksonville in 2009 and with Atlanta in 2013. Still, Belichick is taking nothing for granted. "I think Koetter's done a great job -- done a very good job offensively, uses his personnel well," the Patriots' coach said. "He mixes up formations, uses a good variety of personnel, formations, motion, has good balance in the running game and the pa sing game, has a good balance in the pa sing game with the receivers, tight ends and backs. He finds creative ways every week to make explosive plays. He does a real good job ... how tough he makes it for you to really get any good solid tendencies or keys." The last time we met...These two teams have only played eight times in the regular season dating back to 1976, with the Patriots holding a 6-2 edge. Three of the last four games have been in Foxborough -- with the other taking place in London -- and the Pats are 3-1. But the last time New England came to Tampa, the Bucs cruised to a 27-7 win. That was Nov. 16, 1997. For some perspective: Brady was still at the University of Michigan, sitting on the bench behind Brian Griese. Belichick was in his first season as an a sistant with the , and Jameis Winston was three years old. That 1997 get-together pitted Drew Bledsoe against Trent Dilfer. Bledsoe finished 13 of 25 for 117 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions; Dilfer was 21 of 29 for 209 yards with a touchdown. Curtis Martin rushed for just 26 yards while Mike Alstott ran for 91 yards and a score. Keep an eye on these guys was signed in the offseason because, even at 30, he remains one of the 's most explosive playmakers. We've yet see that explosivene s in Tampa and Jackson expre sed some frustration about that reality during Sunday's 25-23 victory over the . He's been targeted 20 times in three games and has nine receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown. Since coming into the league in 2008, Jackson in the first three games to start the season."It's definitely hard, feeling like being a veteran in this league 10 years. But I'm not going to abort ship," Jackson said Tuesday, via TampaBay.com. "I'll stay on course, stay on plan. Eventually it will come together. We just got to continue to go out there and keep beating, beating away and (doing Rod Brind'Amour Jersey ) the things you need to do to get better. ... "It's just part of being a