Hope for the Falcons: The Patriots' No. 1 defense isn't really No. 1

When last we met, the topic concerned Football Outsiders' appraisal of what would happen if the Atlanta Falcons played poorly in the Super Bowl. (Spoiler alert: They'd lose big.) Today's offering comes courtesy of another analytical site, this one Chase Stuart's Football Perspective. And Mr. Stuart, I'm glad to report, offers hope for the Bowl-bound Birds.

We know that the Patriots yielded the fewest points among NFL teams. But that doesn't mean New England had the No. 1 defense. Going by yards against, it was No. 8. Using Outsiders' DVOA (defense-adjusted value above average), Mr. Stuart notes that the Pats were No. 16 -- mediocre, in sum -- in that metric. He also writes:

"The Patriots faced by far the easiest schedule of any defense in the NFL. New England’s strength of schedule was -7.1%, while Tennessee was 31st at -4.2% and the Bills were 30th at -3.0%. The Patriots would be tied for eighth in DVOA if that metric was not adjusted for strength of schedule, which is why the defense falls to 16th with those adjustments.