Deatrich Wise. (Elsa/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Patriots defense impressed in their season-opening win over the Texans with an interception, fumble recovery, three sacks, a dozen hits to QB DeShaun Watson, seven tackles for loss, and six pass-deflections.
Defensive end Deatrich Wise Junior said the key is the relationship between the pass-rush and coverage.
"Coach always said we gotta have the rushing coverage married, so that big plays happen," Wise said. "If their receivers are covered and we create pressure on the quarterback, something's gonna happen. Either an interception, a PBU, a sack, something's gonna happen."
Special teams captain Matthew Slater was particularly impressed by rookie linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley. Seven tackles in his NFL debut.
"He reminds me a little bit of a guy I got drafted with here, they wore the same number," Slater said, referring to retired star Jerod Mayo. "He's a good kid, he's really done a great job. He's really been a leader. His buy-in's been tremendous, his play on the field has been tremendous. He’s a player that players in this locker room really trust and have a lot of confidence in. Hopefully he’ll continue to grow and improve like the rest of us. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for him."
Bentley's just looking to get better.
"Feel like we got some things to be better at," he said. "A win is a win, so we definitely are very excited to be 1-0. We're looking on to just soak that in a little bit, and get ready to move on."
Patriots at the Jaguars Sunday.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports