Passing game finally flashes
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots attempts a pass during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
If after seeing what Mac Jones has done the last few weeks, you still don’t think there’s a chance he could still be the guy in New England, you’re just blindly following a narrative at this point. That’s not to say Jones is for sure the answer for the Patriots, and he has plenty of room to grow. But he’s certainly done enough to earn another look next year. That’s especially true given the alternative (in a down year for quarterbacks both in free agency and the draft) is dipping back into the quarterback carousel – something many Patriots fans may not realize is as risky as it is given the two decades of comfort afforded by Tom Brady.
Early on in this game, as he did last week against the Dolphins and in the second half against the Bengals, Jones made a number of big throws to keep the Patriots in the game. A deep ball down the sideline to DeVante Parker and the back-corner touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers stand out as highlights.
Speaking of Parker, he showed how valuable he can be to the offense when given the right opportunities. Regularly targeted on 50/50 balls, Parker caught six of his seven targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
Later in the game, Jones did get into trouble in situations where the offense had to force the ball down the field. He threw three interceptions, with two of those bouncing off the hands of intended receivers. He does need to be better in those situations, as no matter what happens the Patriots are going to need to play from behind at times.
Jones acknowledged after the game he needs to be better for the offense to hit the next level. “The blame’s on me. It’s my offense, it’s my group of guys. It’s an uphill battle. Learned a lot. I learned more than I ever could have imagined in a football season. Just want to be able to build on it.”
Overall though, Jones closed the season on a relative high note. Getting him more support – in terms of both the coaching staff and players around him – rather than looking for a replacement should be the plan this offseason.
Offensive miscues still there
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Tre’Davious White #27 of the Buffalo Bills intercepts a pass intended for Nelson Agholor #15 of the New England Patriots during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
There were still some head-scratching moments from the Patriots’ offense. The biggest one came early in the second half, when Jones was intercepted targeting Nelson Agholor down the sideline from the high red zone.
It’s tough to tell who was at fault here without knowing the play call, but Jones and Agholor were not on the same page. Agholor pulled up his route early, giving Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White an uncontested shot at the ball. Either Agholor was expecting a back-shoulder throw, or Jones was expecting a go-route. Either way, it was yet another example of poor communication and coordination on the offensive side of the ball.
Another odd moment was the two-point conversion the Patriots attempted in the fourth quarter to try and make it a three-point game. They stacked four receivers to the right side of the formation, telegraphing a screen/quick pass to that side. That’s exactly what happened, as Jones threw a quick slant to Rhamondre Stevenson, who was promptly tackled after one yard. By overloading that side of the formation, they also drew most of Buffalo’s defenders over there as well, leaving no room for the play to develop.
The Patriots finished the year 0-for-4 on two-point tries, their worst single-season performance in the Bill Belichick era. This is the eight time under Bill Belichick they’ve failed to convert a two-point play in a season, but in five of the previous seasons they were 0-for-1 (most recently 2018), and in the two others they didn’t have a single two-point attempt (most recently in 2015).
1K Rhamondre
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Matt Milano #58 of the Buffalo Bills attempts to tackle Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
After struggling the last few weeks, Rhamondre Stevenson closed his breakout 2022 season on a high note. He finished this game with six carries for 54 yards, and another five catches (on six targets) for 28 yards.
With an 18-yard carry in the first half, Stevenson surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career. Finishing the season with 1,040 yards rushing, he became the sixth 1,000-yard back for the Patriots in the Bill Belichick era joining Antowain Smith (2001), Corey Dillon (2004), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2010), Stevan Ridley (2012), and LeGarrette Blount (2016).
Stevenson also finished the season with 279 touches. That’s the sixth-most by any player in the Bill Belichick era. While there will be adjustments to the Patriots’ offense this offseason, expect Stevenson to remain a key piece moving forwards.
Defending Josh Allen
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Daniel Ekuale #95 of the New England Patriots sacks Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
All things considered, the Patriots did a much better job defending Josh Allen in this game compared to previous matchups. It may not seem like it based on his 19-for-31, 254-yard, three-touchdown, one-interception stat line, but they managed to check some boxes they haven’t in recent matchups.
First and foremost, they were able to turn up the heat on him in the pocket. Allen was sacked twice, and hit three more times. He had to rush a few throws, especially in the red zone sequence at the end of the first half that ended with a Devin McCourty interception. At the same time, they limited his ability to run as he had just 19 yards on six carries excluding the end-of-game kneel downs.
At the end of the day, Allen is still a very physically gifted quarterback. He’s going to get his, and he certainly did on deep balls to John Brown and Stefon Diggs to put the game away. Shutting him out isn’t a realistic option, but the Patriots defense did manage to limit his playmaking impact for most of the game. They can still be better, but it was a show of significant progress compared to how they looked defending him last year. The battle will continue into 2023.
Coverage issues continue
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Gabe Davis #13 of the Buffalo Bills catches a pass while Marcus Jones #25 of the New England Patriots defends during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
While the Patriots fared better against Allen himself, the same issues against the Bills’ receivers persisted. Two of Allen’s three touchdown passes were into relatively open windows. The Bills also repeatedly threw at Myles Bryant, who they have targeted in the past as a speed mismatch.
The size of the Patriots cornerbacks was tested as well. On a 3rd & 7 at the end of the first quarter, the Bills were able to convert by finding 6-foot-2 Gabirel Davis deep over the middle boxing out the 5-foot-8 duo of Bryant and Marcus Jones.
If the Patriots want to truly contend with the Bills, they need cornerbacks that can run with these receivers downfield, and compete with the bigger targets at the catch point. Easier said than done, but something to keep in mind this offseason.
Special teams
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Jahlani Tavai #48 of the New England Patriots and Calvin Munson #43 of the New England Patriots attempt to tackle Nyheim Hines #20 of the Buffalo Bills was Hines returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Alright, time to rip the band-aid off and get to the Patriots’ special teams performance. And it deserves getting to. Because it was bad.
Just off the top – the Patriots became the first team in a decade to allow two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a game. Both plays featured multiple coverage breakdowns, as Belichick noted after the game. Nick Folk also had a kickoff go out of bounds, giving the Bills a short field to set up what ended up being the put-away touchdown.
Things weren’t much better for the punt unit. Michael Palardy averaged just 38.7 yards per punt, including a 28-yarder in the third quarter when the game was still close.
Returns were a struggle as well. Marcus Jones rarely had room to run on kick or punt returns, averaging 20.5 yards per kick return and 8.3 yards per punt return.
These weren’t isolated incidents. Special teams was an issue for the Patriots all year. Those issues were punctuated with an exclamation point on Sunday, and will give Belichick a lot to think about this offseason.
Referees
Referees look on during a game between the New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. (Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
This was one of the least-penalized game in NFL history. Through the first three quarters of the game there was just one flag thrown, and it was declined. In the end, each team ended up being penalized twice for a total of 20 yards.
Were there missed calls? Sure. But in a league that’s so over-officiated at times, this was actually a bit of a breath of fresh air. Personally, I’ll never be too upset with the refs letting the players play and keeping the flags in their pockets. The Patriots couldn’t take advantage, but as a fan of the game it was nice to see.
7 takeaways from the Patriots' season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills
