Zak Kuhr’s unit reached another level in the playoffs. Can it sustain that form in 2026?

The Patriots’ defense was very good for most of 2025. It ranked fourth in points allowed per game at 18.8 and finished top 10 in both EPA per pass and EPA per rush. In the postseason, it became something more dangerous by playing more aggressively. That is a major reason to be excited about Year 2 under Zak Kuhr.

Kuhr did not spend last summer preparing to be New England’s defensive play-caller. Terrell Williams opened the season in that role, then stepped away days after the Week 1 loss to Las Vegas after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Kuhr, then the inside linebackers coach, was suddenly asked to run the defense and call plays. He spent the next 20 games proving he could handle the responsibility.

His first full offseason as defensive coordinator gives him the chance to shape the unit around what worked best late last season. The question is whether the roster is strong enough to support it.

The Patriots Defense: Postseason vs. Regular Season

The defense nearly carried New England to a championship after the offense stopped looking like its regular-season self in the postseason. New England averaged 16.8 points across its four playoff games, a sharp drop from 28.8 in the regular season. As the margin for error narrowed, Kuhr’s unit had to do more than simply keep games under control. It had to create pressure, force mistakes and give an inconsistent offense a chance to survive. That added pressure may have helped bring out a more aggressive version of the defense.

New England’s approach looked very different in the regular season than it did in the postseason, though both versions were effective in their own way. During the regular season, the Patriots ranked ninth in defensive EPA per play at minus-0.11. Kuhr was selective with the blitz, sending extra rushers on just 26.6% of dropbacks, 19th in the league. That approach did not consistently translate into results: the Patriots ranked 26th in sacks and 16th in quarterback pressures.

In the postseason, Kuhr turned up the pressure, and the results followed. New England improved to minus-0.35 in defensive EPA per play and blitzed 42% of the time, up 15.4 percentage points from the regular season. The Patriots led all playoff teams in quarterback pressures. They also averaged 3.25 sacks per game, up from 2.05 during the regular season. The improvement was noticeable on both the stat sheet and the eye test.

The path to the Super Bowl deserves context. Herbert faced New England behind a depleted Chargers offensive line, Stroud contributed to his own four-interception day, and Stidham had not attempted an NFL pass in 749 days before the AFC Championship Game. Still, the Patriots did more than benefit from favorable circumstances. Against those three quarterbacks, New England held opponents to a combined 6-of-27 passing for 133 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on throws traveling 15 or more yards downfield. Even with the level of competition considered, the Patriots consistently erased the explosive plays that can swing playoff games.

That carried into the Super Bowl, even if the final score suggests otherwise. Seattle’s 29 points make the loss look like a defensive collapse, but the Seahawks posted a 32.4% offensive success rate, their lowest mark of the season. Sam Darnold completed just 19 of 38 passes, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba was limited to four catches for 27 yards. New England’s defense forced Seattle into an inefficient game for long stretches, but the offense could not stay on the field. Seattle ultimately controlled possession by 6 minutes and 22 seconds, and left the defense with almost no margin for error.
Kuhr does not need to copy the playoff blueprint. A 42% blitz rate is not a realistic 17-game identity. What New England needs to carry over is the mindset behind it. The postseason showed what this defense can look like when it attacks first instead of waiting for mistakes.

The Front Seven May Lack Depth

Christian Barmore and Milton Williams give the Patriots a disruptive interior pairing capable of changing games. Cory Durden is an under-the-radar player who contributed heavily during the playoff run. Harold Landry and Dre’Mont Jones are solid veteran edge pieces, while Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss form a reliable linebacker duo. The concern is not the front-seven starters. It is how quickly the depth could become exposed.

At off-ball linebacker, Spillane and Elliss pair well, but the options behind them are largely unproven. Sixth-round pick Namdi Obiazor, special-teamer K.J. Britt, Chad Muma, Amari Gainer and Otis Reese are competing for those snaps. One injury to either starter could expose the roster’s thinnest position group. New England could still add another camp body to the room, and probably should.

The edge group is not much more settled. K’Lavon Chaisson left after posting 7.5 regular-season sacks and three more in the playoffs, leaving New England with fewer proven pass-rush answers behind Landry and Jones. Landry led the team with 8.5 sacks, but a knee injury limited him late in the year. After offseason surgery, can the Patriots expect the 30-year-old to return to the form that made double-digit sacks realistic? Jones brings size and versatility and is coming off a career-high season, but he is better suited to complement the rush than become the player protections are built around. After those two, the drop-off resembles the one at linebacker.

Gabe Jacas could help long term, though his knee procedure and unsigned status cloud his availability. That leaves Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson, Quintayvious Hutchins and Jesse Luketa as important depth pieces. The bigger question is whether one of those younger players can become more than emergency depth. They do not all need to break out, but New England likely needs at least one to emerge as a dependable rotational option.

Nose tackle is another position where New England has a void after not replacing Khyiris Tonga. The Patriots lack a proven true run-stuffer in the middle. Their bigger interior options include Eric Gregory, Joshua Farmer, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., David Blay Jr., Leonard Taylor III and Travis Shaw. Shaw is the biggest of the group at 6-foot-5 and 342 pounds. They are not household names, but neither was Tonga entering last season. Seattle’s Super Bowl rushing performance showed what can happen when New England cannot stop the run or finish tackles. A defense built to attack still has to earn the right to attack. That starts with stopping the run.

The Patriots do not need every depth piece to hit. They need someone to surprise them and become a player Kuhr can trust in meaningful snaps. The question is: Which player could become the unexpected name fans are talking about by season’s end?
Zak Kuhr In Year Two

The roster is built for Kuhr to be aggressive. Christian Gonzalez anchors a secondary that gives New England more freedom to pressure quarterbacks than most teams have. Carlton Davis, Kevin Byard, Marcus Jones and Craig Woodson allow Kuhr to disguise looks and play more man coverage, while Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones and Cory Durden give him reason to trust the rush can get home.

Kuhr did not get the luxury of installing a defense in 2025. He was thrust into the play-calling role Week 2, and had to keep the existing structure intact while making adjustments on the fly. The Patriots started the season playing more man coverage before shifting toward zone looks. By the end of the year, they were playing zone on 70.2% of snaps. In the playoffs, New England played man coverage on 36.8% of snaps, up from 29.8% during the regular season. That postseason version, which was more aggressive out of man coverage, may have been closer to how Kuhr ultimately wants to call the defense. This offseason gives Zak Kuhr and his staff something he did not have last year: time to shape the defense before training camp.

One wrinkle worth watching in Year 2 is whether Kuhr uses more heavy nickel near the goal line. Marcus Jones is an excellent slot corner, but his size can create matchup issues against bigger receivers in condensed spaces. A larger corner or third safety could give New England a better answer in those situations. Obiazor is especially intriguing there because of his safety background before moving to linebacker.

Another reasonable expectation is more disguise. Kuhr showed more simulated pressures and late variation as the season went on, particularly in the red zone. With a full offseason to install his own ideas, the Patriots should be better positioned to vary their looks without sacrificing the aggressiveness that made the playoff version of the defense so effective.
Those are the kinds of refinements that could separate a good defense from one that can carry a team through January again. Kuhr does not need to reinvent what worked last season. He needs to build more answers into the unit so New England can stay aggressive without becoming predictable.

Final Thoughts

The regular-season Patriots defense was solid. The playoff defense was championship caliber. Kuhr’s job is to make sure those are no longer two separate versions of the same defense.

The starters can get the job done. We saw that in the postseason. The question is whether the roster has enough depth in the front seven to let that aggression hold up through a full season. Kuhr has time to shape the unit his way. He just may not have much margin for error once injuries and rotation demands begin piling up.

Go Patriots. Starting Forever.