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(PHOTO: Dec 31, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) runs with the ball for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports) The Patriots’ offense had a disastrous first half, which really put the team in a hole that they couldn’t climb out of, eventually falling to the Bills 27-21.
Things started off superbly, with Jalen Reagor taking the opening kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown. The defense held Josh Allen to just 45 yards passing in the first 30 minutes, as he completed just 7-20 passes.
But the four turnovers (3 INTs, one for a pick-six, and a fumble) really put them in a bind as the Bills scored 20 points off of those turnovers and went into halftime up 20-14. Once again, there was no quit in the team as they could have easily mailed the second half in, but they were unable to overcome their mistakes, which has been a recurring theme all season.
In one-score games this season, the Patriots are 4-8, and the opportunities have been there for them in all of those losses.
So, here are our grades this week for the Patriots-Bills game.
Bailey Zappe had a nightmarish first half, throwing three interceptions, one of which was returned by Rasul Douglas for a pick-six. Douglas was involved in all three INTs. The first was a bad decision by Zappe trying to squeeze the ball in towards Mike Gesicki, and it bounced off Douglas to Ed Oliver. Douglas had two interceptions in the first half.
The coaches stuck with Zappe, and he hung in there, making plays with his feet. After Douglas’ TD, Zappe hit Kevin Harris for a 48-yard pass play and then took it in from 17 yards out on a scramble for a TD.
Zappe finished the game 16-26 for 209 yards with no TDs and 3 INTs for a passer rating of just 47.3. It was tough sledding for him with a banged-up and leaky offensive line and an equally injured and depleted wide receiver core.
Ezekiel Elliott and Kevin Harris had to make yardage on their own as the OL provided little push against the Buffalo front seven. Elliott carried 14 times for just 39 yards and a touchdown, while Harris had just two carries for 15.
Zappe carried five times for 37 yards, with an 18-yard run and his 17-yard TD mixed into the total. Elliott had one catch for six yards, while Harris had two catches for 54 yards, including the 48-yard play mentioned above.
The overall numbers for the running game are a bit misleading, as the team rushed for 103 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per rush. But it wasn’t a great day for the OL.
The wide receivers are a banged-up lot, with Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster on IR. The injury bug continued when DeVante Parker left in the first half with a rib injury after catching one pass for 15 yards.
Jalen Reagor had one catch for 39 yards on three targets, but it appeared that he ran the wrong route on the pick-six. Demario Douglas had three catches for 31 yards, while Tyquan Thornton added three catches for 24 more.
Hunter Henry was again out with an injury, and Mike Gesicki led the team with four catches for 34 yards. Pharaoh Brown had a single catch for 5 yards and then fumbled the ball away to the Bills.
The offensive line was missing the starters on the left side, and their replacements didn’t fare well. Trent Brown was a healthy scratch and may have played himself out of New England. With Connor McDermott already on IR, the team turned to Vederian Lowe, who struggled again. At LG, with Cole Strange on IR, the team plugged in rookie Antonio Mafi.
Zappe was constantly under pressure and was sacked three times. The Bills generated eight QB hits and had six TFLs. Added in was that Buffalo owned the line of scrimmage in the running game, which made it a tough day at the office.
Buffalo was the first team since New Orleans in Week 5 to rush for more than 100 yards (127). That was helped by Josh Allen’s 44 yards and two TDs. But overall, the Bills rushed for 127 yards on 37 carries for a 3.4-yard average.
Christian Barmore and rookie Keion White had solid games at the point of attack. Barmore had six tackles, while White was a constant thorn in the Bills’ side, pressuring Allen with a QB hit and a TFL. Deatrich Wise chipped in with four tackles, the group’s only sack, and a QB hit.
The group did a great job of limiting the Bills’ James Cook to 48 yards on 16 carries, an average of just 3.0 yards per rush. Another very good job.
Jahlani Tavai was once again all over the field as he tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, including a TFL. He’s been outstanding this season. Ja’Whaun Bentley was solid, with seven tackles.
Anfernee Jennings had five tackles, including a TFL, in another very solid performance. Josh Uche had four tackles and a TFL but was caught in no-man’s land in the second half. Allen was scrambling, and Uche went for Allen, leaving TE Dalton Kincaid in the process. Allen flipped the ball to Kincaid for an 18-yard gain. Buffalo had been pinned deep in their own end, but it looked like Uche was stuck in a no-win position.
Mack Wilson chipped in with a couple of tackles and a QB hit. Overall, not a bad day at all for this group.
The banged-up unit played a ton of Zone coverage on the day, possibly because of Allen’s ability to scramble and make plays with his feet. And they held Allen to very pedestrian numbers, 15-30 for 169 yards with 0 TDs and an INT for a passer rating of just 53.3. Buffalo averaged just 5.6 yards per pass.
The combined effort held the Bills’ WRs to small numbers as well. Stefon Diggs (4-26), Gabe Davis (2-21), and Khalil Shakir (4-39) were all held in check. However, TE Dalton Kincaid had more than half of Buffalo’s receiving yardage with 4 catches for 87 yards. The secondary had a rough time with him, including a 51-yard pass reception.
Kyle Dugger (10 tackles, 1 PD, 1 QB hit) and Jalen Mills played well despite missing Jabrill Peppers. The cornerbacks did a great job of limiting the WRs to 10 catches for 86 yards.
The STs got off to a great start with Reagor’s 98-yard TD return off the opening kickoff. But Chad Ryland continues to struggle. He missed a 47-yard FG wide left and would have missed a 53-yarder, except the Patriots got flagged with a penalty forcing a punt.
The coverage units had a solid day, but Myles Bryant opted to let a couple of punts go, looking for touchbacks that didn’t happen, resulting in the offense getting pinned deep. Bryce Barringer averaged 44 yards on four punts with a long of 57 and putting one inside the 20-yard line.
It was much of the same as it has been all season, with the defense turning in a good performance, allowing just 20 points and holding Buffalo to just 281 yards of total offense, while the offense gave up seven points and had four turnovers.
They played better in the second half, not turning the ball over, but the damage was already done. It has been the same issue all season long.
Well, the season is down to the season finale against the J-E-T-S, and the Patriots have an opportunity to sweep their bitter rivals, who are out of the playoff picture. And after that game, we’ll find out what changes are forthcoming.
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected].
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