Welcome to Week 16 of the NFL Regular Season! The Patriots welcome the Buffalo Bills in a matchup that may look lopsided on paper but typically never is on the field. The Patriots are dealing with more turmoil as Josh Gordon was released for mental health issues and in impending suspension for breaking the drug and alcohol rule. The Patriots are still sitting at 9-5 with a chance to possibly end up as the two seed, but they need help and they need to get themselves going before worrying about others.
Here are the inactive players for today:
Patriots– DL Keionta Davis, DB Duke Dawson, OL James Ferentz, LB Brandon King, S Obi Melifonwu, DE Derek Rivers, DE Adrian Clayborn
Bills– QB Derek Anderson, RB Chris Ivory, G Vlad Ducasse, WR Ray-Ray McCloud, CB Ryan Lewis, TE Charles Clay, S Dean Marlowe
Kickoff is in less than five minutes; enjoy the game!
FIRST QUARTER
13:35- Three & out for the Patriots defense, a good sign.
13:21- Edelman with a drop on the 1st throw; the trend continues. 2nd & 10…
13:15-Edelman gains seven on the catch; 3rd & 3…
12:44- Incomplete pass on 3rd down as the pass is batted down, and the Patriots offense continues to look like crap. Good roll on the 55-yard punt by Ryan Allen, and the Bills will take over at their own 15.
12:19- No gain on the play; 2nd & 10…
11:43- Roberts with the shoestring tackle on the Allen run; 3rd & 5…
11:05- Horrible drop by McKenzie on 3rd & 5; Patriots force another punt.
10:54- Michel runs for a gain of five; 2nd & 5…
10:09- Jet sweep to Patterson for a gain of seven; 1st & 10…
9:26- Michel runs for a gain of 21; 1st & 10 from the Bills 19…
8:44- 13 yard blast up the gut by Michel; 1st & Goal…
8:04- Michel runs for a gain of four; 1st & Goal from the Bills four…
7:32- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Michel takes it in from four yards out, and the Patriots pick up the MUCH needed touchdown. If New England can figure this thing out, they can do damage in a conference with no clear favorite. Patriots 7, Bills 0
7:28- The Bills offense will take over at their own 22 after the return.
7:19- Newcomer Kumalu with a great read and pursuit from the right DE spot; 2nd & 14…
6:34- Foster wide open, but he lost it in the sun. That was a big break because he scores on that play if he catches the ball. 3rd & 14…
6:12- Gain of six on the run by Allen, Patriots force the punt. The Patriots offense will take over at their own 12. Patriots 7, Bills 0
5:15- Four yard run by Michel; 2nd & 6…
4:53- Patterson takes the pitch for a gain of 12; 1st & 10…
4:26- The “Runnin’ Patriots” keep it going; gain of seven on the ninth straight run; 2nd & 3…
3:56- 10 in a row, this time another four yards; 1st & 10…
3:12- Play action to Gronk, but he was covered; 2nd & 10…
3:03- Edelman gains six through the air; 3rd & 4…
2:30- White runs for five more; 1st & 10, Patriots, from the 50…
2:01- Incomplete pass to White, Brady simply missed him. 2nd & 10…False start. Here we go again; this has been the main issue. 2nd & 15…
1:47- This team…Burkhead doesn’t go down when he should, fumbles, and the Bills take over at the Patriots 40. This team just can’t get out of their own way, and it is frustrating.
1:09- Bills pick up a 1st down, & now they are driving; 2nd & 5 from the Patriots 20…
:37- Gain of zero; 3rd & 6…
:13- Incomplete pass; weird play, and the Bills are forced to punt.
:05- Hauschka misses the field goal, and the Patriots avoid giving up a score on a turnover. If they don’t clean things up, they are going to be one-and-done in the playoffs; the positive thing is all this stuff IS fixable, it just requires focus and effort. Patriots 7, Bills 0
:02- An ugly quarter comes to an end. The positives- running game and overall defense; the negatives- passing game and more brain farts on offense. New England needs to find a way to get Chris Hogan involved. Patriots 7, Bills 0
SECOND QUARTER
15:00- That play had no chance; Brady sacked, Patriots now face 3rd & 21…which they hand off to White for no gain. This team just isn’t that good offensively; they are old at the receiver and tight end position, the offensive line is strong on the interior, but the tackles are questionable, and their running backs don’t run with a good forward lean. I can keep going too.
13:05- On 2nd & 5, Ford runs for two; 3rd & 3…
12:29- Incomplete pass on 3rd down; the Patriots are playing man-to-man and challenging Allen, which is the smart thing to do.
12:12- Burkhead gains six on the catch; 2nd & 4…
11:43- After Patterson ran for 19 on the jet sweep, Burkhead picks up six more. 2nd & 4…
10:24- Burkhead runs for two; 3rd & 2…
9:59- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! White breaks through off guard and runs for a 27-yard score. Keep running the ball and sprinkle in the pass, because it is working. Patriots 14, Bills 0
9:53- Horrible kickoff coverage, and the Bills will start the series from their own 37.
9:41- INTERCEPTION, PATRIOTS!! J.C. Jackson makes the easy play on a horrendous throw, and the Patriots now have a chance to make this a three-score game.
9:33- Pass is complete to White for a gain of nine; 2nd & 1…
8:50- Michel runs 13, and picks up another Patriots 1st down. 1st & 10 from the Bills 27…
7:44- Interception, Bills. Burkhead, who was held badly, ran the wrong route and Brady threw it where he thought he was going. Like I’ve been saying- mistakes are killing this team. That is TWO big ones on Burkhead today.
7:03- McCoy picks up six on 2nd down; 3rd & 1…
6:19- Allen runs for three; 1st & 10 from their own 41…
5:51- 17 yard catch, and Foster picks up the 1st down. 1st & 10 from the Patriots 43…
5:13- Foster slips on the play, causing the pass to be incomplete. 2nd & 10…
5:03- 1st down on the gain of 13; bad coverage, you can’t allow that inside step without a jam. 1st & 10…
4:30- McCoy runs for a gain of two; 2nd & 8…
3:43- McCoy gains three on the catch; 3rd & 5….
3:00- Allen on the keep for two; 4th & 3…
2:16- Patterson runs for 27 yards on the jet…again. 1st & 10…
1:54- Michel runs for three; 2nd & 7…
1:19- Patterson picks up three on the hot route; 3rd & 4…
0:00- The Bills down it to end the half. Having some technical difficulties, our apologies.
THIRD QUARTER
15:00- Interception basically caused by Gronk leads to a Buffalo field goal. The Patriots offense is back on the field.
12:28- Michel runs for 11 after an awful hold by Edelman; 3rd & 6…
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11:52- Wow. This is pretty ugly stuff. If you have watched this team for the last two decades, there is no way you can’t see the HUGE dropoff in the team’s overall play. Yes, Brady is not the same as last year, but he is good enough. The rest of this team is playing awful football, and there isn’t a quarterback alive that could make this team a legit contender. Edelman isn’t the same player, neither is Gronk, and they simply don’t have enough weapons in the passing game. Put your seat belts on, this game is going to have a bumpy ride all the way to the final gun. Patriots 14, Bills 3
11:10- DPI on Jonathan Jones, and the Bills are now setup at the Patriots 40. 1st & 10…
11:01- 20 yard gain through the air. This ride is getting real bumpy….
10:21- Patriots get away with DPI in the end zone; 2nd & 10…
10:16- Incomplete pass to Thomas; good coverage on that play. 3rd & 10…
10:11- Patriots get the job done and force the field goal attempt, although they did get away with a late hit. They are…not smart. Haushka connects from 41 yards out, and the lead is now just one score. Patriots 14, Bills 6
10:02- The WOWS continue. Michel, what the hell are you doing? Special teams is a big problem for the 2018 New England Patriots. They stink.
9:48- Three yards on the pass to Edelman; 2nd & 7…
9:15- Michel runs for 18; 1st & 10…
8:41- Michel runs for 10 more; another 1st down…
8:05- Apparently it was 2nd & short, but not after Burkhead ran for a three-yard gain and a 1st down. On the next play, Gronk called for a hold. Gronk & Edelman look washed up today, end of story.
7:00- Burkhead gains 20 and a big 1st down; he’s made mistakes, but he at least shows some explosiveness. 1st & 10…
6:23- Michel runs for two; 2nd & 8…
6:00- Four yard run by Michel; 3rd & 4…
5:14- Blitz up the middle, and Brady just tosses it incomplete. Yuck. 4th & 4…
5:05- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Edelman makes the catch on the slant, and on the tackle he simply rolled on the defender’s body, stayed off the ground, and ran 20 yards for the score. Good play (I still think he is washed). Patriots 21, Bills 6
5:03- Squibb kick? That is how they feel about their kickoff coverage. Trust me, as a special teams coach, that is exactly why they did that.
4:14- Foster picks up 26 on the catch; 1st & 10…
3:29- 11-yard run by Allen; 1st & 10, and the Bills aren’t just driving, they’re streaking down the field.
2:48- FUMBLE RECOVERY, PATRIOTS!! The Bills get a case of the stupids. Croom had it all the way down to the five, but Jason McCourty ripped it out, and the Patriots defense recovered the fumble. Huge play.
2:08- Two runs for nine yards by Michel; 3rd & 1…
1:15- 1st down run by Burkhead, who gained 10 on the run.
:55- Incomplete pass on the screen as Brady throws it away; 2nd & 10…
:49- Gronk draws an obvious DPI; the guy was all over him. 1st & 10…
:42- Burkhead runs for one; 2nd & 9, and the Patriots will let the clock run out on the 3rd quarter. An up and down quarter for the Patriots, but definitely more ups than downs. Patriots 21, Bills 6
FOURTH QUARTER
15:00- Edelman picks up 12 on the catch; 1st & 10…
14:08- Tough run by Burkhead on the two-yard gain; 2nd & 2…
13:28- Brady escapes trouble and hits Edelman for a gain of 12; another 1st down for New England…
12:48- Three yard gain by White on the run; 2nd & 7…
12:10- Brady is pressured and misses White underneath; 3rd & 7…
12:07- Blitz doesn’t have enough guys to pick up, so Brady is forced into a throw that was short and incomplete to the outside. If he can’t step into his throw, that is what happens. The Patriots are forced to punt yet again.
11:53- Guy just misses the safety as Allen tosses it away; he looked “in the dirt”, but it wasn’t called. 2nd & 10…
11:43- Three yard run by McCoy; 3rd & 7…
11:06- Incomplete pass, and the Bills are forced to punt again. Good defense on that series.
10:55- Edelman sets up the offense with a 25-yard punt return.
10:46- White runs for three; 2nd & 7…
10:09- End-around by Philip Dorsett, which was different than Patterson because Patterson ran from the slot. Dorsett runs it down to the five; 1st & Goal…
8:58- Two plays, two yards, and the Patriots are now facing 3rd & Goal…
7:44- Gostkowski hits the field goal, and the Patriots extend their lead to 18. Yes, a touchdown would have been nice, but any type of score there is going to be big for New England because they now have a three-score lead. Patriots 24, Bills 6
7:36- Bills called for holding, and now will face 1st & 20…
6:53- Incomplete on 2nd & 12; 3rd & 12 from their own 22…
6:48- Good PBU by Jason McCourty, and the defense forces yet another punt.
6:39- PUNT DEFLECTED!! Slater gets a hand on it, and the offense will take over at the Miami 33.
6:34- Burkhead runs for nothing. Brady is out of the game. This is…unusual. Hoyer gets the nod though. Strange days in Foxboro.
5:07- Hoyer can’t hit Edelman on 4th & 5; terrible throw.
5:01- Six yard pickup through the air; 2nd & 4…
4:29- Allen hits Jones for 12; 1st & 10…
4:07- Good pass rush forces the throwaway; 2nd & 10…
4:01- INTERCEPTION, PATRIOTS!! Jason McCourty makes the play, a great catch because he had to get both feet down on the sideline.
3:43- Run for one; 2nd & 9…
3:12- Burkhead runs for three; 3rd & 6…
3:06- Another hand off to Dorsett, this time for a loss of four. The Patriots will be forced to punt on 4th & 10…
2:49- Pass complete for five to Ford; 2nd & 5…Dolphins lost, Patriots are AFC East Champs. 10. Year. In. A. Row. That’s insane.
2:00- We are down to the final two minutes, and with the Patriots about to wrap this one up, it is time to keep an eye on the HOU-PHI game. If Philly wins, the Patriots would jump back into the two seed. Big finish here!
1:55- Run for 11; 1st & 10…
1:44- Ford gains six more, and the Bills face 3rd & 4. Patriots defense needs to end this now.
1:17- Incomplete pass; 2nd & 10…
1:09- Touchdown, Bills. It shouldn’t be a problem, but this is your 2018 New England Patriots in a nutshell. That should have been a sack, and now they’ll have to field an onside kick. The Bills messed up the PAT, so they are down 12. Patriots 24, Bills 12
1:07- The Patriots line up in victory formation, and the Patriots will now move to 10-5, while the Bills will drop to 5-10. It wasn’t pretty, but they got the job done, and now they watch the Eagles and Titans.
Thank you for joining us, and be sure to join us next week for the season finale against the Jets.
*Update- Texans 30, Eagles 29
2:06 to go. Bad news for Patriots fans.
FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 24, BUFFALO BILLS 12
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- 2018 AFC EAST CHAMPIONS
*1ST TEAM IN NFL HISTORY TO WIN 10 STRAIGHT DIVISION TITLES
