{"id":14650,"date":"2017-12-26T09:12:20","date_gmt":"2017-12-26T14:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=14650"},"modified":"2017-12-26T09:12:20","modified_gmt":"2017-12-26T14:12:20","slug":"patriots-week-16-report-card-patriots-run-bills-37-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/12\/26\/patriots-week-16-report-card-patriots-run-bills-37-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots \u00a0Week 16 \u00a0Report Card, Patriots Run Over Bills 37-16"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Patriots took care of the Bills again and won by 21, but it wasn\u2019t as easy as the score would indicate. Buffalo had a much better game plan this time around and played hard. The score was very close until about midway thru the fourth quarter when the Pats pulled away. <\/span><\/p>\n

This one had more controversy as Kelvin Benjamin appeared to snag a go-ahead touchdown just before the end of the half. The referees signaled a touchdown but the league\u2019s replay officials, (which took forever) decided it wasn\u2019t a catch. Whether you believe it was a catch or not, it certainly appears that the league\u2019s officials in New York are adding to the problem with over-analyzing these things rather than simplifying them.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the end, the Bills with an extra four points or not, couldn\u2019t stop the Patriots or Dion Lewis and New England scored on six straight possessions. Tyrod Taylor and the Buffalo offense weren\u2019t going to match that and the Pats win assured them of their eight straight 12-win season and a first-round bye in the playoffs. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, we\u2019ll start with the offense and the players can come forward to pick up their grade sheets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quarterback:<\/b> B-<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Brady much like the first game in Buffalo wasn\u2019t sharp in the early going, before getting it going in the second quarter and beyond. He was late in throwing a slant to Kenny Britt which resulted in a Jordan Poyer pick-six and a 10-3 Buffalo lead. He threw well behind Rob Gronkowski and then overthrew him on passes where he was wide open. But he quickly found his game.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the pick-six, the Patriots would outscore Buffalo 34-6 and Brady began heating up. He didn\u2019t throw an incompletion in the second half and ended up 21-28 for 224 yards with 2 TDs and an interception. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Running Backs: <\/b>A<\/span><\/p>\n

No James White, no Rex Burkhead? No problem. Dion Lewis, the guy whose name former Bills coach Rex Ryan claimed he didn\u2019t know slashed Buffalo again. Lewis headlined a Patriots ground game that gashed the Bills for 193 yards. The Patriots knew the Bills were selling out trying to stop Brady from throwing and had a slew of smaller defensive backs in to stop the pass. The Patriots ran right at this group with deadly effect. New England ran for 191 the first time the teams played and 193 on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lewis led the way with 24 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns. In two games against the Bills, this season Lewis ran for 221 yards. It is safe to say they know his name now. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wide Receivers:<\/b> C<\/span>
\n<\/span>The wide receivers again this week were pretty much a non-factor in the game. Buffalo\u2019s secondary as we said, tried to take them away by flooding the field with DBs and it worked for the most part. NE\u2019s wide receivers had a combined 7 catches for 87 yards. \u00a0Danny Amendola had three catches for 28, Phillip Dorsett had one catch for 24 yards, newcomer Kenny Britt had just one reception for 16 yards and Brandin Cooks had just two receptions for 19 yards, but he did draw a 49-yard pass interference penalty. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tight Ends:<\/b> A<\/span><\/p>\n

Rob Gronkowski was a big factor in the passing game catching five passes for 67 yards including a sick 17-yard touchdown grab. Running a go route down the left sideline, Brady threw a back shoulder pass that Gronk snagged one-handed and was able to get both feet down for a highlight reel touchdown. He also drew a couple of pass interference penalties on the Bills as well as producing his normal stellar work in the running game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dwayne Allen had two catches for 26 yards while Jacob Hollister had a catch and a run for five yards each. On his run, if he stayed with Gronk and Allen to the outside, he had a touchdown. But he cut back inside and was tackled on the three.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gronkowski also was asked about the Patriots success (12+ wins in the last eight seasons) and had a typically Gronk answer:<\/span>
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