In a game that Buffalo Bills fans had hope for, history was repeated once again as the New England Patriots took the season series from the Bills defeating them 37-16. After two great wins against the Colts and Dolphins, the Bills failed to win in Gillette and now fall to 8-7 on the season with one more regular season game to go.
The Patriots locked up a first round bye for the playoffs while the Bills are still in playoff contention but will need help next week.
What happened to the first- half Bills?
The Bills played really well in the first two quarters and were tied 13-13 with the Patriots heading into halftime. The only bad thing that really happened for the Bills was the questionable catch that involved Kelvin Benjamin. Even though it was ruled as an incomplete pass, there is still question about the callings from the refs, seeing as how this is the second consecutive week there was a play involving a catch that was ruled incomplete even though there are arguments as to that it was indeed a catch.
The star play of the game for the Bills? Jordan Poyer took the highlight as he intercepted Tom Brady and returned it for the Bills’ only touchdown of the game. Other than that play, there was no other big play that helped the Bills in anyway.
The first-half Bills team were competitive and gave the Patriots trouble. Once the second half came around, that changed instantly.
Tyrod Taylor managed to put up 281 passing yards, compared to his 65 passing yards the first meeting, Although, there was no touchdown thrown or at least ran in by him. He outplayed Brady in the passing category and did not give up an interception, but Brady put points on the board through the air.
The running game for the Bills could not get going so they had to pass but Taylor either held the ball for to long or could not connect with his receivers at times.
The offense only put up three points in the second half which is completely unacceptable. The offense will need to fix many wrongs for next week’s game against the Dolphins.
Let’s Not Forget About Defense
The defense did very well in the first half but then they looked weak and controlled in the second half. Only allowing 13 points against the Patriots in the first half was great, then it seemed like they could not stop Brady and the offense at all. The Pats ended up scoring 24 second-half points to put up 37 total.
While Brady was able to get a rhythm going through the air, Dion Lewis embarrassed the Bills defense and ran for 129 yards and a touchdown. It’s clear that the Bills need a pass rusher added to their team. They should not be giving up this type of yardage to opposing teams.
The Bills pass defense did not perform badly but they still gave up 14 points through the air.
So…What Now?
The Bills will just need to focus on beating the Dolphins in Miami next week and hoping for miracles from other teams to make the playoffs. The Bills need to win no matter what, but then they will need either the Baltimore Ravens to lose or both the Chargers and Titans to lose to secure a spot. They cannot control what happens in the other three games so they will need to shake off this loss and get ready for the Dolphins, a team that has been known for playing well at home against division opponents.
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