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Best Of Social Media: Week 16 Bills vs Patriots

Robert Alvarez
Robert Alvarez on Twitter
December 28, 2017 at 8:17 pm ET

Best Of Social Media: Week 16 Bills vs Patriots(PHOTO: Isaiah J. Downing - USA TODAY Sports)

🕑 Read Time: 3 minutes

The New England Patriots entered Week 16 looking to maintain their standing atop the AFC as the number one seed, but they had to get past a Bills team that came into last Sunday’s game still in the hunt for a wild card spot.

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sunday in foxboro #gameday #letsgo

A post shared by Julian Edelman (@edelman11) on

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For the second time this season, neither the Patriots or Bills could get much going in the first quarter. As the lone scoring game from a Stephen Haushka 41 yard field goal to give the Bills a 3-0 lead after one.

To open the second, Stephen Gostkowski hit a 21 yard field goal to knot the game at 3, but when the Patriots got the ball back two drives later, quarterback Tom Brady made a very uncharacteristic decision, and allowed his first interception return for a touchdown for the first time since lasts years Super Bowl. Jordan Poyer made the play and the Bills took a surprising 10-3 lead.

Needing a response, Rob Gronkowski found the end zone with an incredible catch for a touchdown that again tied the game up. 10-10 midway through the second quarter.

The Brady connection to Gronkowski was the 75th time both hooked up for a touchdown, fifth all time among quarterback to receiver duos. Both the Patriots and Bills would trade another field goal each and would go into the half tied at three, but not without another officiating controversy.

https://twitter.com/david_malandra/status/945014557831032833

Despite the calls of “cheating”and “fixing” by outraged Bills fans following the ruling, their team managed to keep the game within reach heading to the locker room.

In the third quarter, both the Patriots and Bills again traded field goals to up the score to 16-16 as Bills running back Lesean McCoy broke ankles on his way to setting up red zone opportunities.

Seeking to get some space, Brady continued to find Gronkowski, which helped setup the Patriots second touchdown of the game, by former Bill Mike Gillislee.

Through three quarters 23-16 Patriots.

In the fourth quarter, the game shifted to become the Dion Lewis show, as the Patriots began to pull away from the Bills. Brady found Lewis from 12 yeards our for his 30th touchdown pass of 2017, which extended a record for most all time by a quarterback over the age of 40. It was also the seventh time in Brady’s career with 30 plus touchdown passes. 30-16 Patriots.

Lewis again would find the end zone with about four minutes to play in the fourth, a four yard run extending the lead to 37-16 and all but closing the door on any Bills upset.

On a day that would later earn him AFC Offensive Player of the Week, Dion Lewis ran for a career high 129 yards to go with his two scores.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdGfHc5jnPK/?taken-by=realkylevannoy

https://twitter.com/kvn_03/status/945052625061404673

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“What a feeling”

A post shared by Mike Gillislee (@nothingwasgiven35) on

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Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
Tags: Deatrich Wise Jr. Julian Edelman Kyle Van Noy Mike Gillislee Shea McClellin Tom Brady

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