The Patriots had everything in front of them to clinch the AFC East today. Playing at home, they raced out to a 21-0 lead, but the Bills figured out the defense and sliced them up with five straight touchdown drives, while the Patriots’ offense in the second half fizzled, save for one big play. The result was a 35-31 loss.
The Bills played their normal 60-minute game, something Mike Vrabel preached about last week, and the Patriots failed a major test and the opportunity to clinch the division.
Despite the loss, the Patriots still maintain a one-game lead over Buffalo in the AFC East, but if they are to win it, it probably won’t come until the final weekend of the season.
Meltdown Highlights Some Consistent Issues And One New One:
Buffalo and Josh Allen carved up the Patriots’ defense for five straight touchdown drives. Their running game couldn’t be stopped and the pass rush couldn’t get pressure on Allen. When they did, they failed to bring him down.
Although there were some questionable pass interference calls, when your opponent scores on five straight drives, it’s hard to point the finger at 50/50 DPI calls. The red zone defense remains a weakness.
The defense, however, wasn’t helped at all by the special teams. The Bills averaged 41 yards per kickoff return and had three drives begin in Patriots territory. Added into that mix was a facemask penalty.
The Patriots’ own kickoff return unit continues to treat the 25-yard line as the limit to their returns. The one nice return from Kyle Williams was wiped out by a holding penalty. Marcus Jones only had one punt return opportunity and bobble limited it to five yards.
The Patriots’ offense, as we’ve seen often, started off on fire and then tailed off in the second half. The difference is, that the defense wasn’t able to smother their opponent.
The Loss Just About Ended Any Shot At The #1 Seed:
The Patriots’ loss put the division crown on hold, but it also pretty much ended any hopes at securing the #1 seed and a bye for the first round of the playoffs.
Denver already held the tie-breaker over New England, and they took care of business by beating the Packers yesterday, so at 12-2, they have already clinched a playoff berth, the only AFC team to do so, and have a game lead over New England.
Even if the Patriots run the table and finish at 14-3, Denver would have to lose two of their final three games. But the bigger picture is the Bills. They’ve hit their stride, and now, even if they have to return to Foxboro for a playoff game, they will have no fear of the Patriots after that performance today.
Allen showed why he was the MVP last year, and after the past few weeks, he should be mentioned again as a repeat MVP.
Other Observations:
-The Patriots’ running game answered the bell. And had the defense gotten a few stops, it would have been the story of the game. The Patriots rushed 25 times for 246 yards (9.8-yard average) with four touchdowns.
Buffalo’s run defense has been an issue all season long, and today was no exception. It was a question whether the Patriots’ running game would be able to take advantage of that. And they did, but they couldn’t drive home that advantage in the second half, since they were limited to just 18 offensive plays, since the defense couldn’t get off the field.
-TreVeyon Henderson is becoming everything they hoped for when they drafted him this spring. He could be a candidate for offensive rookie of the year after his 14-carry, 148-yard performance, including two TDs of 52 and 65 yards. That’s four touchdowns this season of 50+ yards.
He added two catches for 13 yards, but in the future, I’d love to see the offense utilize him more in flexing him outside and isolating him on a linebacker in coverage down the field.
-Drake Maye’s numbers were pedestrian 14-23 for 155 yards with an INT, but that was because the running game was going so well. He added 43 yards on four carries (10.8-yard average) with two rushing touchdowns.
-No turnovers. On a day where Josh Allen put the Bills on his back again, the Patriots’ defense was powerless to stop him. And a turnover would have helped immensely. There were some opportunities, but they couldn’t capitalize on any of them.
This has been a recurring issue all season. The Patriots have forced only 14 turnovers this year, and today, when they sorely needed one…and didn’t get it.
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The Patriots have another tough matchup next week, on the road in Baltimore. The Ravens’ defense pitched a shutout against the Bengals today, 24-0. They face another mobile MVP QB in Lamar Jackson, who can hurt them with his scrambling.
Check back later for our Positional Report Card on the loss.
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
