Week Four Live Blog: Patriots vs. Bills

Welcome to Week Four of the 2019 NFL Season! Our Week Four Live Blog takes us to Buffalo where the Patriots will battle the Bills for AFC East early-season positioning. Both teams enter the day with a record of 3-0, so this is a huge game that is not something that has occurred to often in the AFC East over the last two decades. The Bills gave the Patriots passing game fits last season, so they know they have the guys to hang with New England, but their 3-0 record may be a bit bloated.

The Bills have beaten the Bills, Giants, and Jets, so they haven’t exactly dealt with the better teams in the league. The Patriots were supposed to have a tough opponent with the Steelers, but they have proven to most likely be an under-.500 team. They also beat Miami, the worst team in football, and the Jets, who are also a complete dumpster fire. It is hard to tell who has an advantage based off of the teams they have beat, but it is clear that the Patriots are the more complete team.

Can the Bills get anything going offensively? That is the question of the day. The Patriots will find a way to score; will the Bills? We’ll see in about 10 minutes. Here is the inactive Patriots for today’s game:

Patriots- LB Dont’a Hightower, OL Caleb Benenoch, OL Kory Cunningham, QB Cody Kessler, DL Byron Cowart, CB Joejuan Williams, and RB Damien Harris.

The Hightower situation is a bit of a surprise (shoulder injury), but with the depth at linebacker, it makes sense to let these guys get healthy if they have any type of issue. Enjoy the game!

FIRST QUARTER

15:00- The Patriots get a weak return on the kickoff, and their offense will take over at their own 15. 1st & 10…

14:47- 15-yard run by Michel to open the game, just what they needed. 1st & 10…

14:09- No gain on that run by Michel; 2nd & 10…

13:31- Brady overthrows Dorsett; 3rd & 10…

13:25- Incomplete pass and the Patriots will punt. The passing game will have their hands full today. Buffalo takes over at their own 24. 1st & 10, Bills…

13:09- Two incomplete passes, and the Bills facing 3rd & 10…

12:57- Sack, but there is a flag for holding. Tough to hold when the qb is sacked almost immediately.

12:!3- Gore runs for nine; 2nd & 1…

11:56- Gore for two more; 1st & 10…

11:17- Another flag on the Patriots, and this is not a good start for the Patriots. Thankfully there were offsetting penalties, so they will replay 1st down.

11:10- Bills are called for holding, and that backs them up to their own 30. 1st & 20…

10:34- INTERCEPTION! Devin McCourty reads it all the way and makes the easy pick, returning it to the 50. 1st & 10, Patriots…

10:27- Brady and Gordon are not on the same page on 1st down, the pass is incomplete; 2nd & 10…

10:23- Short gain by White before he is tackled; 3rd & 9…

9:43- White with a big 14-yard catch, that was much needed. 1st & 10…

9:03- Gordon with the drop on the easy slant; 2nd & 10…

8:58- Dorsett with a gain of six on the reception; 3rd & 4…

8:11- White with the 26-yard catch on the deep wheel route; 1st & Goal…

7:35- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Bolden takes it in for four yards out on the jet sweep and the Patriots strike first… Unreal. Gostkowski just missed another extra point, his fourth this year. It is at the point where blaming the holder isn’t fair; this is on Gostkowski. Patriots 6, Bills 0

7:29- Strong return, and the Bills start at their own 37…

7:25- Incomplete pass to Cole Beasley; 2nd & 10…false start…2nd & 15…

7:13- Patriots just missed out on a fumble recovery; 3rd & 14…

6:30- Incomplete pass to Brown, and the Bills will punt. Olszewsk returns the punt…

6:22- BLOCKED PUNT! TOUCHDOWN! Matt Slater scoops up the punt that was blocked by J.C. Jackson and takes it in for six. Gostkowski did connect this time, and the Patriots are ahead by two touchdowns already in the 1st quarter. Patriots 13, Bills 0

6:16- Gore rips off a 28-yard run, and the Bills get away with a blatant hold. 1st & 10…

5:38- Gore for one; 2nd & 9…

5:03- 10-yard pickup by Buffalo and they have another 1st down; 1st & 10…

4:21- Gore runs for one; 2nd & 9…

3:39- Allen missed the deep throw and the Bills face 3rd & 9…

3:26- Collins with a GREAT play and sack, and the Bills will punt. Buffalo downs it at the Patriots five, where Brady and the offense will take over. 1st & 10, Patriots…

2:49- Michel runs for four; 2nd & 6 from their own nine…

2:15- Michel gains one; 3rd & 5…

1:44- Great play design, but the timing of the slant was off and the Patriots are forced to punt from deep in their own territory; 4th & 4…the Bills take over at their own 44 after the booking 53-yard punt.

1:28- Gain of maybe two; 2nd & 8…

:42- Allen picks up four; 3rd & 4…

:14- 12 men on the field for the Patriots, which is an inexcusable penalty. He appeared to be off the field.

:02- INTERCEPTION!! J.C. Jackson with the pick and he returned it to the Patriots 30. Bad throw, good pressure…

:02- False start on the Patriots; 1st & 15…

:00- Run to nowhere, gain of zero for Michel due to no blocking whatsoever. That is the end of the 1st quarter, a quarter dominated by New England. Patriots 13, Bills 0

SECOND QUARTER

15:00- Incomplete pass to Gordon; 3rd & 14…

14:48- Incomplete pass to Dorsett; 4th & 14, and Bailey drills a 46-yard punt that was returned 11 yards. 1st & 10, Bills…

14:13- Brown picks up 15 on the slant; 1st & 10…

13:56- Gore runs for two; 2nd & 8…

13:20- Gore for two more; 3rd & 6…

12:35- Another overthrow by Allen to Beasley, and the Bills will punt; Olszewski with the fair catch at the Patriots five; 1st & 10…

12:23- Michel for nothing, again. 2nd & 10…

11:43- Edelman picks up eight; 3rd & 1…

11:00- White barely extends the ball out for the 1st down; the Patriots are getting zero push upfront. 1st & 10…

10:33- Michel for no gain; 2nd & 10…

9:48- Incomplete; 3rd & 10…

9:42- Screen-pass to White goes for 11 yards, and the Patriots have another 1st down.

9:06- Michel runs for 10 and another 1st down; 1st & 10…

8:24- Gordon takes the quick throw and rams his way ahead for 13 yards; what a beast that guy is. 1st & 10, and the Patriots are methodically driving.

7:20- Six yard run by Michel; 2nd & 4…

7:02- Jet sweep to Dorsett for seven yards; 1st & 10…

6:31- Edelman picks up four on the catch; 2nd & 6…

5:53- Brady avoids the sack and throws it away; 3rd & 6…wow, AWFUL CALL. Intentional grounding; 3rd & 17…

5:47- Edelman gets about nine yards back; they’ll go for it on 4th & 8…

5:40- Dorsett clearly interfered with going down the sideline, and the Patriots offense will take over at the Bills seven; 1st & Goal…

5:15- Michel for three; 2nd & Goal…

4:42- Michel for two; 3rd & Goal…

4:08- Interception. Brady, who is having an awful game, throws a pick to a place he never should have thrown, and the Patriots squander a scoring opportunity. Just like last season- the Patriots passing game struggles against the strong Buffalo pass defense. 1st & 10, Bills…

4:01- 10-yard gain by Beasley; 2nd & inches…

3:21- Gore runs for 41, and tack five more on for illegal hands to the face. Things are not good for the Patriots right now as they’ve lost ALL the momentum.

2:17- Another flag on the Patriots, who are self-destructing here. They picked up the flag; 3rd & 5…

2:12- SACK! Van Noy with a sack and that is a loss of six. 4th & 11…

1:56- Field goal, Bills. What appeared to be a game on the verge of a blowout if now a 10-point game. Turnovers will kill you. Patriots 13, Bills 3

1:55- Broken play; the Patriots waste a down. 2nd & 10…

1:47- Almost picked off, and the Patriots are in trouble. 3rd & 10…

1:40- Brady chucks it down the field for an incompletion; Brady is 9-22. Gross, but kudos to the Bills pass defense. The Bills offense takes over at their own 32.

1:20- Allen runs for 15; 1st & 10…

:58- Incomplete pass on the deep bomb; 2nd & 10…

:53- Beasley picks up six; 3rd & 4 from the Patriots 47…

:46- Knox with the catch over Chung for 21 yards, and the Bills spike it to stop the clock. 2nd & 10…

:36- Calhoun got away with a blatant facemask, and the pass is incomplete. 3rd & 10…

:20- SACK!! Simon with the sack and the Bills lose five. 4th & 15…

:04- 49-yard field goal attempt is no good, mainly because of the sack on 3rd down. Not a pretty half for the Patriots, but they still have a 10-point lead at the half.

HALFTIME- PATRIOTS 13, BILLS 3

THIRD QUARTER

15:00- Touchback; the Bills take over at their own 25. 1st & 10…

14:55- Yeldon with the catch and run for 23; 1st & 10…

14:25- Four yard gain; 2nd & 6…

13:59- Beasley for eight; 1st & 10…

13:33- Yeldon for 19 more, and the Patriots are getting shredded right now…

13:00- Beasley for 19 more; 1st & Goal…

12:23- Jones with the catch and one-yard gain; 2nd & Goal…

11:44- Gore for four, stuffed at the goal line; 3rd & Goal…

11:02- Gore is short of the goal line, and the Bills face 4th & Goal…

10:37- Touchdown, Bills. Allen jumps over and BARELY gets the TD before the ball was punched out. Extra point is good, and this is now a three-point game. Patriots 13, Bills 10

10:33- Bolden returns it to the Bills 23; 1st & 10, Patriots…

10:27- White gains three on the catch; 2nd & 7…

9:55- Michel bottled up for a loss of one as the Patriots have lost all the momentum they once had; 3rd & 8…

9:13- Wow. The Patriots simply have no answer for the Bills defense, and Bailey is forced to punt. the punt was 61 yards, and the return was around five. Slater was called for running out of bounds too long, which is 15 yards and sets the Bills up at their own 39. This is quickly becoming a frustrating afternoon for the Patriots.

8:57- Incomplete pass; 2nd & 10…

8:48- Roberts for six; 3rd & 4…

8:14- The Patriots jumped, but the Bills foolishly held, so the penalties offset. 3rd & 4, again…

8:02- 1st down run by Allen, but the Bills are called for holding again; 3rd & 14…

7:35- SACK! Winovich makes the sack, and the Patriots defense is starting to wake up again. The Bills punt and Olszewski waves it off as it sails out at the Buffalo 46. 21-yard punt- YUCK. 1st & 10, Patriots…

6:10- Incomplete to Dorsett as they keep making Brady move off his spot; 3rd & 11…

6:05- Burkhead picks up eight; 4th & 3 from the Bills 40…the punt if fair caught at the Bills 11.

5:22- Gore runs for five; 2nd & 5…

4:44- Gore for six more, and he goes over 100 yards. 1st & 10…

3:58- J.C. Jackson with another interception and the defense continues to make huge plays. 1st & 10, Patriots…

3:52- White with the catch for four yards; 2nd & 6…

3:20- Bad drop by Edelman on the crossing route; 3rd & 6…

3:12- Gordon with a gain of 31-yards, a huge play that was MUCH needed for this Patriots offense; 1st & Goal…Bills challenged and lost…

3:00- Michel for one; the Patriots cannot run the ball today. 2nd & Goal…

2:!4- Middle screen to White; that isn’t going to work. 3rd & Goal…

1:32- Dorsett with the catch for five, and the Patriots are facing 4th & Goal…

1:00- Field Goal, Patriots! Gostkowski connects and extends the lead to six. The Bills defense is built to stop Brady, and it appears to be working. Patriots 16, Bills 10

:51- Short kick by Gostkowski, strong return for Buffalo, and the Bills have 1st & 10 at the Patriots 35…

:39- 18 more yards for Buffalo; 1st & 10…

FOURTH QUARTER

14:54- The Bills just called their last timeout of the game, which is not ideal. 3rd & 8…

14:46- Allen just got knocked down hard by Jonathan Jones; Jones was penalized for head-to-head. The Bills were called for holding, so the penalties offset, which infuriates the Buffalo crowd. 3rd & 8 will be replayed again…

14:20- Pass is complete to Brown for 25 yards, and the Bills are setup at the Patriots 17…

13:15- Halfback pass is incomplete, but New England is called for an illegal hit on Barkley; 1st & Goal…

12:47- Incomplete; 2nd & Goal…timeout, which is a delay of game because they don’t have any left. 2nd & Goal from the 11…

12:08- Brown for 8; 3rd & Goal from the three…

11:31- Gore is stuffed for a loss of one; 4th & Goal, and the Bills will go for it.

10:43- INTERCEPTION!! Chung makes the pick off the deflection. That will be reviewed, but it looked good on the initial replay…1st & 10, Patriots…

10:39- Gordon with a catch and run for two; 2nd & 8…

9:59- Brady sails one incomplete; 3rd & 8…

9:58- Screen to White for nothing as the offense continues to run the same things that haven’t worked all day. 60-yard punt, 12-yard return, and the Bills offense take the field yet again. Patriots 16, Bills 10

9:07- Incomplete pass to Brown; 2nd & 10…

8:51- Incomplete pass; 3rd & 10…

8:45- Incomplete to Beasley; 4th & 10…

8:35- The Patriots offense takes over at their own 20…

8:31- This is disgusting; the Patriots offense can’t do anything. 2nd & 15…

8:27- Edelman with a gain of 10 on the catch; 3rd & 5…

7:46- The Patriots offensive line is lost, and Brady is running for his life. Jake Bailey crushes another punt, and great coverage stuffs Buffalo at their own 25. 1st & 10…

7:36- False start, Bills. 1st & 15…

7:28- Yeldon picks up 16; 1st & 10…

7:00- Incomplete to Beasley; 2nd & 10…

6:54- Van Noy forces another fumble, but the Bills recover; 3rd & 19…

6:17- False start, Bills. 3rd & 24…

5:57- 18-yard gain and the Bills will punt again. 4th & 6…

5:20- The Patriots will take over at their own 16.

5:14- Michel runs for a gain of eight; 2nd & 2…

4:43- Michel runs for seven more; 1st & 10…

4:03- Michel carves out three tough yards; 2nd & 7…

3:25- Incomplete pass, and that foolishly stops the clock AND makes it 3rd & 7…

3:19- Incomplete pass and the Patriots will punt again. Those last three play calls were three of the worst I’ve seen in a long time. Bailey punts again, and the Bills are called for a block in the back. 1st & 10 from the Buffalo 14…

3:02- 21-yard play by Beasley; 1st & 10…

2:22- Seven more for Beasley; 2nd & 3…

2:00- Knox for 19, and the Bills are streaking down the field. We are at the two-minute warning. 1st & 10…

1:55- Brown for no gain on the bubble screen; 2nd & 10…

1:34- Ball bounces off the back of a Bills lineman, and now the Bills face 3rd & 10…

1:28- INTERCEPTION, PATRIOTS!! That will end the game as the Patriots can now take a knee. Rough day for the offense, but the defense continues to dominate, and when they were needed the most, like today, they stepped up. The Patriots will improve to 4-0, while the Bills will drop to 3-1.

Thank you for joining us today for this defensive battle, and be sure to join us next week when the Patriots travel to Washington to take on the Redskins. Have a great week!

FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 16, BUFFALO BILLS 10