Defense comes up when it matters

There were a couple bumps in the road for the Patriots secondary against the Bills offense. The first came on a 33-yard pass to Bills tight end Dawson Knox that set the team up for a game-tying touchdown right before halftime. Then there was the 53-yard touchdown connection between quarterback Josh Allen and speedy wideout John Brown that gave the Bills the lead in the third quarter.

The Patriots defense responded as anyone would expect by pitching a shutout in the fourth quarter. Allen was knocking on the door for another game-tying touchdown, but he was ultimately held out of the end zone thanks to a herculean effort from the league’s No. 1-ranked defense.

Given the limitations of the offense, they will have to continue to be special once the postseason gets here.