Trey Flowers A Lone Bright Spot In Poor Performance By Patriots Defense

By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots struggled to slow down Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks all night on Sunday, blowing coverage in the secondary and mostly failing to generate consistent pressure on the quarterback. But defensive end Trey Flowers was one of the few players on the defense to actually show up.

Flowers finished with two sacks and three total tackles on the night. Rob Ninkovich was the only other Patriot to get to Wilson on the night. Flowers played more snaps (61) than any other defensive lineman after playing 63 snaps in the previous three games combined.

After the game, Flowers sounded frustrated but gave props to Seattle for playing a strong game on offense.

"Yeah we just struggled," said Flowers. "It was a tough game, we played a good team; we left some plays out there, no doubt about it."

Flowers played a surprisingly high number of snaps on Sunday night and his play made Belichick look smart for the decision. But it has to be a concern that Jabaal Sheard, who was the team's most consistent pass rushing threat in 2015, played a season-low 16 snaps against the Seahawks and hasn't been the same player for most of 2016.

Head coach Bill Belichick told reporters after the game that Flowers' expanded role was mainly performance-based, implying that Sheard has dropped off to the point where he's losing significant snaps.

"There's really no difference for any players on the team. Everybody earns their playing time," said Belichick. "Players that play the best earn the playing time."

The Patriots have had an alarming lack of a pass rush over the course of the 2016 season and the drop-off in play from Week 1 starters Sheard and Chris Long has to be a concern. If the lack of pressure continues, it could ultimately prove to be their downfall in the playoffs. But Flowers' sudden emergence leaves a glimmer of hope that the defense may be able to figure it out by the end of the season.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.