{"id":95469,"date":"2020-09-30T07:43:02","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T11:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=95469"},"modified":"2020-09-30T07:46:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T11:46:49","slug":"chase-winovich-exceptional-start-new-england-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/09\/30\/chase-winovich-exceptional-start-new-england-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"Chase Winovich Off to An Exceptional Start for New England Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a> parted ways with a lot of players from their historic 2019 defense. Over the course of the offseason, the team lost Kyle Van Noy<\/a>, Jamie Collins<\/a>, Elandon Roberts<\/a>, Dont\u2019a Hightower<\/a>, <\/strong>and Danny Shelton<\/a><\/strong> to either free agency or opt-outs. This massive front seven departure meant that somebody needed to step up, and Chase Winovich<\/a><\/strong> has answered the call.<\/p>\n

Chase Winovich Making the Leap in Year 2<\/h2>\n

While Winovich obviously isn\u2019t capable of replacing all of the aforementioned players (no single player could do that), the Michigan product has made the proverbial Year 2 leap. Widely considered a steal during the 2019 NFL Draft, Winovich spent the majority of his rookie season coming off the bench. He looked good when on the field, but couldn\u2019t break into the starting lineup. You can\u2019t really blame him for this, as last year\u2019s defense was one of the best in recent memory. That said, this lack of playing time made him something of an unknown heading into 2020.<\/p>\n

So far, Winovich has eliminated the doubt and proven that he is a true three-down starter in this league. Through the first three weeks of the season, Winovich has 1.5 sacks, five quarterback hits, and one tackle-for-loss. While the traditional numbers don\u2019t jump off the screen, the advanced stats imply that Winovich is one of the best edge defenders in the league.<\/p>\n

Using NFL Next Gen tracking data, ESPN has come up with two metrics<\/a> designed to recognize efficiency in the run and pass game: Run Stop Win Rate and Pass Rush Win Rate. These metrics, for all intents and purposes, exist to show how often a defensive lineman wins their respective assignment in the run and pass game. Through three weeks, Winovich has the third-highest Run Stop Win Rate among qualifying edge defenders and is tied for fifth in Pass Rush Win Rate.<\/p>\n

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First one of these of the year!<\/p>\n

Run Stop Win Rate while at edge (x) by Pass Rush Win Rate (y) while at edge. <\/p>\n

ESPN metrics, NFL Next Gen Stats data. pic.twitter.com\/5XpFKY2Gce<\/a><\/p>\n

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n