Patriots come up short in pivotal game against Buffalo
The Patriots’ run to retake the AFC East hit a major wall on Sunday. With a chance to put themselves squarely in the drivers seat of the division race, they fell to the Buffalo Bills 33-21 at Gillette Stadium.
Similar to their loss to the Colts, the Patriots were outmatched physically to start the game. A three-and-out ended their first offensive drive, and then the Bills pushed them down the field with a 13-play, 67-yard touchdown drive that ended with a fourth down touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Isaiah McKenzie to make it 7-0.
The Patriots next drive took up the remainder of the first quarter, and a handful of plays in the second. They converted on fourth and short twice, including the penultimate play with an option toss to Damien Harris. On a variation of the same play on the next snap, Harris took off for a 16-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
On their second shot, the Patriots defense settled down a bit allowing just a field goal. Now down 10-7, the Patriots gave the Bills a chance to break the game open. N’Keal Harry dropped what would have been a 15-yard gain, then on the next snap Mac Jones threw an interception targeting Harry. The Bills would reach the Patriots’ 1-yard line, but failed to score, turning the ball over on downs.
Quickly, the ball was back in the hands of the Bills. They converted a 4th & 2 that was originally a 4th & 7 before encroachment on the Patriots. On the next set of downs, Josh Allen found Stefon Diggs in the end zone to put Buffalo up 17-7 just inside the two-minute warning.
As the Patriots went on a two-minute drill, the game began to get ugly. Efe Obada was flagged for roughing the quarterback, and on the next play it looked like Mac Jones was hit late out of bounds. The refs elected to pick up the flag, and Trent Brown was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when a scrum broke out. Backed up to 2nd & 18, the Patriots eventually had to punt and went into the locker room for halftime down 17-7.
Buffalo kicked a field goal on their first drive of the second half, then the Patriots responded with another long, run-heavy drive. Again, they had multiple fourth down conversions and Harris punched the ball in to make it 20-14 with 17 minutes to go in the game.
For the sixth time in six full drives, the Bills once again reached the Patriots red zone. Spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter, they went 66 yards in nine plays, and took a 26-14 lead on a Devin Singletary touchdown run. A failed two-point conversion made the score 26-14 with 12 minutes to play.
The Patriots got back within a score on their ensuing drive. Harris picked up his third touchdown after the Patriots drove 75 yards in 10 plays, and made it 26-21 with 7:37 to play.
However, the defense once again failed to get a stop. On the first play of the drive, J.C. Jackson dropped what would have been a pick-six. They followed that by allowing a Josh Allen bootleg on fourth down, then leaving Stefon Diggs open on a scramble play on the next third down. Allen then hit Knox in the end zone, putting the Bills up 33-21 and putting the game away.
Mac Jones finished the game 14-of-32 for 145 yards with two interceptions (he threw one in garbage time). Jakobi Meyers was his leading receiver, catching six passes for 59 yards. Damien Harris led the way with his fifth 100-yard game of the season – he has 103 – and a career-high three touchdowns.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the best player on the field, going 30-of-47 for 314 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. Receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who was filling in for Cole Beasley who had tested positive for COVID during the week, caught 11 passes for 125 yards and a score.
The loss drops the Patriots to 9-6 on the season, tying them with the Bills. Buffalo assumes first place by virtue of having a better record against AFC East opponents (4-1 vs. 3-2). New England now falls back into a crowded AFC Wild Card picture for the time being. The Patriots aren’t eliminated from division contention, but now would need to win out and get help.
Next week is the Patriots final regular season home game. They’ll host No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
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Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].
