Greg Bedard of BostonSportJournal.com joined Felger and Mazz on Tuesday, as he does every Tuesday during the football season to discuss the latest with the New England Patriots following the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Buffalo!
Before 3 Up and 3 Down, here are some notes from the game courtesy of NFL.com…..
Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe picked up his first career rushing touchdown in the loss to the Bills. It was a 17-yard run for Zappe into the endzone. Zappe also threw 3 interceptions in the loss, which has brought his total up to 7 interceptions on the season.
With his 98-yard kickoff return touchdown, Patriots wide receiver Jalen Reagor found the endzone for the first time as a member of the Patriots. Reagor also had 39 yards receiving in the loss to the Bills.
Patriots rookie wide receiver DeMario Douglas had 31 yards receiving in the loss. Douglas now has 548 receiving yards, which leads all Patriots receivers in 2023.
The Bills won the possession battle in the win with a total of 32:52 time of possession compared to the Patriots 27:08 time of possession.
Patriots rookie kicker Chad Ryland missed his only field goal attempt in the loss. Ryland has now missed 9 field goals in his rookie season through 16 games.
The Bills picked up a total of 19 first downs in the win. The Patriots picked up 16 first downs in the loss.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen only completed 50% of his passes for a total of 169 yards in the win for the Bills. Allen did not pass for a touchdown in the win but did rush for 2 touchdowns. Allen now has 15 rushing touchdowns during the 2023 season.
With the loss, the Patriots will end the season at 3-5 on the road in 2023. They are currently 1-7 at home in 2023 with their final home game being against the New York Jets on Sunday.
3 UP
Anfernee Jennings
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 24: Anfernee Jennings #33 of the New England Patriots celebrates a stop in the first quarter of a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: I thought he had a really good bounce back game. I did not think he was good on the edge last week, I thought it was really good this week. I had him for nine impactful plays.
Kyle Dugger
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 01: Kyle Dugger #23 of the New England Patriots celebrates an interception for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium on January 01, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: I thought he had a good game. Now people will look at the Kincaid 50 yard pass, which was the biggest pass in the game. I don’t know what happened on that play, I’ve never seen a Patriots defense lack deep integrity like it did on that play. To me, I want to put it, I don’t know this, but I want to put it on Myles Bryant from being it looked like he was going to be the post safety and like cover three to all of a sudden he’s covering the guy in the flat. So I absolve Dugger of that.
Christian Barmore
![Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) reacts after a play ]in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports](https://985thesportshub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2023/12/USATSI_22172527-1.jpg)
Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) reacts after a play ]in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: I thought he was really good. Now they took care of him in this game. They double teamed him. They had a plan for him, but I thought he was still really strong and good against the run as well.
3 DOWN
Atonio Mafi
Aug. 10, 2023; Foxborough, MA: New England Patriots guard Atonio Mafi on the sideline during a preseason game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Greg Bedard: I just think he was terrible in this game. Gave up a couple sacks. He’s had a rough time this year. It’s been too early for him, especially being a former defensive tackle in college.
Bailey Zappe
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 31: Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots throws a pass during the second quarter of a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: I can’t believe Pro Football Focus gave him an 82.2, the second highest grade on the Patriots. I had him for two and a half interceptions in this game, I split the final one between him and Raegor. But Zappe had a terrible first half, not just with the interceptions. He was much better in the second half. And he certainly made some plays in this game. I mean, you know, his moxie and his toughness and his resiliency certainly stands out. And it’s been impressive.
Ja’Whaun Bentley
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 26: Myles Bryant #27 of the New England Patriots, Jabrill Peppers #5 of the New England Patriots, and Ja’Whaun Bentley #8 of the New England Patriots celebrate after Peppers’ fumble recovery during the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: This is two weeks in a row. I think he’s really tired. They ask a lot of him. He had a tough time in coverage. He would have had even more if Josh Allen took more of the checkdowns, which he should have done. But I thought Bentley for two weeks in a row has had a really rough time, especially in coverage.
