The New England Patriots are just the 3rd team in NFL history to avoid throwing an interception over the first six games of the season. The Dallas Cowboys had a chance to join them, but rookie QB Dak Prescott threw his first career interception after taking the best-start-to-a-career record from Patriots QB Tom Brady. The Minnesota Vikings have zero interceptions through five games.
The only two other teams to avoid throwing an interception this late in the season are the 1960 Cleveland Browns (first interception in game 10) and the 2008 Washington squad (first interception in game 9).
What makes this streak so remarkable for the Patriots is their reliance on back-up quarterbacks. Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett did an excellent job of protecting the football in the passing game until Tom Brady was able to return- and Brady has made very few poor decisions since he’s been back.
We should also highlight the sudden change in fumbles for the Patriots. After fumbling 12 times over the first four weeks, including five against the Bills, the Patriots have yet to fumble in the two games with Brady under center.
The Patriots protect the football better than any other team in the league so the fact the opening quarter of the season looks to be an aberration instead of the norm has to be comforting.
On the flip side, the Patriots have forced just one turnover during the past three games (a tipped interception to Patrick Chung against the Browns). As the defense continues to rely on bending, and not breaking, the squad will need to force some turnovers to remain sustainable.