This post probably best describes the Pats style of defense. That being said, they obviously don't do it perfectly. The tackling is sometimes awful, and while the play usually starts infront of the defenders, a missed tackle often turns what should be a minimal gain into a much bigger play. So, in effect, the Patriots DO play a solid 'bend but don't break' style of defense, more often than not you can find multiple tackles broken throughout the course of a game leading to some major yardage. They also don't always prevent the big play. It is a very flawed defense, but it is certainly not the worst in the NFL. They've also forced the 4th (I believe) most turnovers and have one o the best turnover differentials.
