Deatrich Wise Jr. celebrates a 2nd quarter sack with Davon Godchaux. Patriots home opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept 25, 2022. (The Providence Journal / Kris Craig)

The Patriots defense is finding itself, and it starts with the big boys up front.

When Lawrence Guy went down with a shoulder injury in Week 3, the Patriots needed to reconfigure their defensive line on the fly. But they were prepared to do so, because of the team’s well-known “Next Man Up” mentality. It’s been an impressive group effort, and key to the unit’s strong performance in recent weeks.

And yes, their last two wins were over the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns, both flawed on offense and limited at quarterback. But those teams are both stout on the offensive line, units packed with All-Pros and high draft picks.

Despite all that talent, the Patriots held the Lions and Browns to a combined 3.8 yards per carry and no rushing touchdowns over the past two weeks. Defensive linemen have combined for two sacks, five QB hits, 16 tackles, and a fumble recovery.

They’ve accomplished this without Guy, and even without Christian Barmore for a good chunk of their Week 6 win in Cleveland. And they did it with depth, versatility, and multiplicity. It’s been beneficial for the players to work on themselves in a real game setting, and for Bill Belichick to get a better idea of what he’s got on the depth chart.

“Whoever those players are in any situation like that, when opportunity is created there, have a chance to show where they’re at, how they can help the team and what they can contribute,” Bill Belichick said last week. “Obviously, the better they do, the more playing time they can earn.

“So that’s why everybody has to be ready to go every week, all the time. You never know when you’re going to get that call and be able to take advantage of it when it happens.”

Among those to get the call-up are a veteran and a rookie. Daniel Ekuale played a season-high 26 defensive snaps against the Browns and has rotated in for the past four weeks. Rookie Sam Roberts, meanwhile, was active for the first time in his career in Week 4, and has started to get time on defense over the past two weeks. Roberts appears to be the plug-and-play replacement for Barmore in pass-rush situations.

The group has shown impressive versatility, lining up in a variety of ways, which has kept opposing offensive lines off balance. Ekuale and Roberts play a healthy mix of 3-technique (lined up over guards) and 0-technique (nose tackle). Deatrich Wise has been excelling as a “Wide 9” (lined up off the tackle) edge rusher, but has also played 3-tech and 5-tech (lined up over the tackle). Davon Godchaux is primarily a 3-tech, but can play the nose. Barmore is athletic enough to play anywhere on the line.

“Once we lost [Guy and Barmore], a lot of guys stepped up. They kind of found their identity while playing the game,” Deatrich Wise said of the line’s overall play in recent weeks. “A lot of young guys played, guys played different positions. It was really cool to see. That’s something that we take pride in: once someone goes down, next man up. We take playing D-line very personal, so if you make something very personal, you kind of think of it like ‘This is my job’ … we do that well.”

The defensive line been the most recent example of the Patriots’ ability to maintain continuity after replacing key players. It’s certainly easier to do that at 3-tech and nose tackle than at, say, quarterback. But in New England, all 53 players are expected to prepare as if they’re playing, and hold each other accountable.

“We kind of treat all our guys as starters,” Godchaux said last week. “If you’re going to be on the D-line we treat you like a starter, and if you get your number called we expect you to play like a starter. It’s just kind of a mentality. Lawrence Guy went down, Barmore went down, so, next guys up. We don’t treat you like second-string. Everybody’s a starter, because when your number’s called, it’s time for you to perform.”

Monday night should open up more opportunities for the Patriots’ front-seven to make plays, especially against the pass. The Bears have allowed sacks on 16.7 percent of quarterback Justin Fields’ dropbacks, by far the highest rate in the league, despite attempting the fewest passes (115). Never mind the sacks; the Bears allow the most pressure in the league, 31.2 percent of all dropbacks. And this is all despite the Bears being the least-blitzed team in the NFL.

It’s also a chance for the Patriots to slow down a productive run game for a third week in a row. The Bears have averaged 5.2 yards per carry, sixth-best in football. If they can’t get rolling on the ground against the Pats’ front and get stuck in third-and-long situations, they’re going to have a long night.

Guy and Barmore are both questionable for Monday night, so we’ll see how many hands are needed on deck. But in the past two weeks, Belichick and his linemen have both gained valuable experience through opportunity. And considering the matchups they faced and their level of execution, the whole line has been impressively ready for the moment.

“When your number’s called, you can’t be nervous,” Godchaux said. ‘You’ve got to be ready, man. It’s the NFL, we all know that. When your number’s called, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.