The Patriots' Quarters Solution

Why the Patriots Leaned on Quarters Coverage to Stop the Buccaneers

Who’s arguably the top team in the AFC? It might just be the Patriots. Most of the attention in Boston will be on second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Rightfully so; he’s already outperformed all of his passing stats from 2024. 

One of the best off-season pick-ups from any team this offseason has to be the addition of Mike Vrabel as the Head Coach of the New England Patriots. Vrabel is a coach's coach, a Patriot Hall of Famer, and a proven winner in a league that is hard to win in.

Image: AP

Vrabel is also great at evaluating talent and can teach almost any position on the field. He’s also one of the only coaches to outsmart the “master”, Bill Belichick, when it comes to the rule book. His hands-on approach (above) is also a fan favorite and a proven way for him to connect with his players.

Last year was forgettable, especially for an organization that has dominated much of the past two decades. The defense had fallen to the bottom on almost every metric, too. The 4-13 finish signaled to owner Robert Kraft that the Patriots needed a total reset.

Vrabel spent much of 2024 as a consultant and coach for the Cleveland Browns before rejoining the Patriots organization. One of his first hires was to bring back Josh McDaniels, who had also taken the 2024 season off. For his defensive coordinator, Vrabel selected Terrell Williams, who was with him in Tennessee. Zak Kuhr is now calling the plays as Williams battles a cancer diagnosis.

In Tennessee, Vrabel had the Giants' DC, Shane Bowen, calling the defense. In ‘23, the Titans were third in Quarters usage. That number has shifted to about half under Williams/Kuhr; then again, usage as a whole is down 5% since the end of 2023 and now sits at 10%. For context, Quarters was used approximately 14% of all coverage in 2024.

Patriots coverage matrix through Week 9 (Field Vision)

Though Quarters and Cover 6 rates are down across the league, Cover 2 rates have moved up eight percentage points from their 2024 numbers. Quarters is still a tool within many of the top NFL teams’ toolboxes, and the Patriots are no different.

New England is fifth in the NFL in Cover 2 usage at 27.6% and tenth in EPA when running it. Under Vrabel, the Patriots are 13th in Quarters usage. Overall, the Patriots are 16th in split-field coverage (MOFO) usage, just below the league average.

Teams that face the Buccaneers have to face a layered passing attack that, when healthy, has multiple dynamic receivers and one of the best Y-TEs in Cade Otten. Rookie Emeka Egbuka has quickly become one of the best receivers in the NFL.

Against the Bucs, the Patriots pivoted to more split-field coverages; the Patriots ran almost 50% of their coverages in the open-post category. Their season-average split-field usage heading into Week 9 was 40.4%, and after Week 10, it jumped to 42.8%.

Quarters were a large part of the game plan as well. The Patriots’ average heading into their matchup with Baker Mayfield was 9.6%. That average rose 1.5% to 11.1% after the game.

Meet The NFL's New Defensive Meta: Fighting Heavy Personnel with Base Quarters

Man coverage is a large part of the Patriots’ coverage schemes (~25%) due to their roster. Christian Gonzalez (0) is seen as a rising star at corner in the NFL; his partner, Carlton Davis, is also a man-specialist. The pivot to Quarters leans into their man abilities outside. Inside, the Safeties can layer their alignments to match the many crossing routes the Buccaneers run.

The defense overall has seen a significant jump in success since Week 6. Vrabel and Kuhr are starting to figure out what this defensive roster can do. Through six weeks, the Patriots sat 24th in EPA/play. Post-Tampa Bay, they sat 13th overall.

Part of their resurgence on defense has been a shift toward split-field coverages, including Quarters. After Week 6, the Patriots were using split-field coverages at ~37%, which ranked them 21st in usage. That number now sits closer to 43%. Let’s dive into the tape!

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