Patriots Seize Control of the AFC East After Bills Falter in Atlanta
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said during his opening press conference with the media that, “Our goals will be to win the AFC East, to host home playoff games, and to compete for championships. That’s what it’s going to take.”
After Monday night, he and the Patriots find themselves on top of the division after the Bills followed up their loss to New England last Sunday night with a back-to-back loss against the Falcons.
Atlanta didn’t waste much time. They jumped out to a 21-7 lead, and they kept the heat on Buffalo and Josh Allen for the remainder of the contest, pulling off a surprising 24-14 win at home on Monday Night Football. Allen finished the game 15-of-26 for 180 yards along with two touchdowns and two interceptions, with the Bills’ QB throwing the game-sealing pick in the closing seconds to end any miracle Bills fans might have been hoping for.
“It takes everyone,” said Allen after the game. “Little details matter. It wasn’t good enough tonight, and we’ve got to find ways. We had some God given opportunities. I mean, the play at the end of the half, Taylor Rapp busting his butt to make a play there … the field goal block. We had the opportunities to take advantage of and we didn’t.”
Atlanta brought the heat on Allen for most of the game. They sacked him four times and hit him six, with the quarterback spending most of the night running for his life and trying to make plays against a tough defense. The Falcons also finished the night with 9 passes defended.
“They had a good plan,” said Allen. “It looks like they came off a bye week and got to game-plan us quite a bit. Again, I’ve got to be better at seeing the things they’re trying to do to us and make adjustments accordingly.”
The loss drops Buffalo to 4-2, but the Patriots – who are also 4-2 – hold the edge on the tie-breaker thanks to their head-to-head win at Orchard Park a week ago.
For now, the Bills head into their bye week on a disappointing note, with a visit to Carolina (who has won two-straight after their blowout loss to New England three weeks ago) up next, followed by a visit from the Chiefs the following Sunday, and then a trip to Miami the week after.
That potentially gives the Patriots the chance to further retake control of the division with match-ups against Tennessee and Cleveland up next.
There’s still a lot of football to be played, but the win last Sunday night yielded a surprise many likely didn’t expect to see happen this early.
For now, it’s all about taking the next step, with Vrabel’s club now focused on trying to make it four-in-a-row down in Tennessee this weekend.
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Josh Allen’s facial expression on the sideline vs ATL just before halftime was that of concern. Concern the Bills have issues on both sides of the ball. My read. On offense that their receivers are coverable (not fast) and are having trouble getting separation. Furthermore, that if opponents stop Cook in the running game, then that stops the Bills offense. On defense, the bills are having issues against the run. Big time.