Bills Take Topple Patriots in New England 35-31
When the Patriots made the score 21-0 halfway through the second quarter, I was on top of the world. TreVeyon Henderson had taken the handoff at his own 48-yard line and dashed all the way to the Bills’ end zone, putting the Patriots up by three scores just 24 minutes into the game. The offense was firing on all cylinders, and it looked like New England was on its way to clinching its first AFC East title since 2019. Then, doubt crept into my mind as I remembered the Giants game, where we only scored three points in the final 30 minutes. I feared that our offense would slow again and allow the often-late-surging Bills to get back in the game. My worst fears would soon be realized.
What Went Right?
For most of the season, Josh McDaniels has rarely utilized designed runs for Drake Maye, and when he’s called them, they proved unsuccessful. On Sunday, that wasn’t the case. The first designed run was an 8-yard rush touchdown for Maye, which sparked the Patriots’ scoring onslaught. Maye had another rush touchdown, this one on a scramble, to put the Pats up 14-0 in the first. It was the first multi-rush touchdown game of his career.
Really, the entire ground game was a huge success on the day. TreVeyon Henderson had nearly an identical stat line to his Tampa Bay breakout performance, 148 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns were from outside of 50 yards, tying him for the all-time lead in 50+ yard rush touchdowns in a rookie season. The play of the day was a normal-looking stretch run to the right, where he was stuffed, but bounced left and sprinted to the left sideline behind an unlikely lead blocker: Drake Maye. Maye kept up with the speedy rookie, landing the score-sealing block and putting the Patriots up 31-28 with ten minutes to go. If nothing else, this game proved that the Patriots have a balanced, dangerous, and explosive rushing attack between Henderson, Maye, and Stevenson.
What Went Wrong?
Besides the first quarter and the rushing game, basically everything else. The Patriots allowed the Bills to score on five consecutive possessions, unable to contain their rushing or passing attack. James Cook gained at least six yards on seemingly every first down, setting the Bills up for easy late-down conversions. Twice in the game, the Patriots had a chance to stuff Buffalo on third-and-goal before failing to do so.
An obvious point of weakness was covering the opposing tight ends. On most crucial third-downs and twice in the red zone, the Patriots’ linebackers simply couldn’t close on Dawson Knox and Dalton Knicaid. Knox finished the day with two touchdowns, while Kincaid had a giant 24-yard conversion that kept re-igniting a fizzling out Bills drive.
Finally, the third problem for the Patriots was their receivers’ inability to get separation. The injury-ridden Bills’ secondary had the Patriots’ receiving threats blanketed throughout the game. There was simply nowhere for Drake Maye to go with the ball, leading to his worst passing performance of the season.
Moving Forward
The Patriots still sit atop the AFC East and have a 67.1% chance to win the division according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. As long as they can win two of their last three, they should be the two seed come playoff time. They have an outside chance at the one seed, but with the Broncos’ impressive victory against the Packers today, that seems unlikely.
The team’s inability to generate pressure up the middle, offensive line penalties, and poor run-stuffing exposed the need to get healthy quickly. Milton Williams, Will Campbell, and Robert Spillane all being on injured reserve is costing the team substantially in these departments. With each player expected to return before the playoffs, I don’t see a reason why this game should dissuade anyone from believing that the Patriots can make a serious run for the AFC title this season.