The Buffalo Bills fell just short against their long-time nemesis, losing to the New England Patriots 24-17 Saturday afternoon.
The game featured strong defense and several big plays for Buffalo, but it ultimately was not enough to knock off the evil empire of the NFL, giving the Patriots the AFC East crown for the 11th consecutive season.
New England carried most of the play in the first half, possessing the ball and putting pressure on the Bills defense. However, the unit did not break despite being on the field over 21 minutes in the first half.
The Bills defense dealt the first blow of the game, forcing a Rex Burkhead fumble. Jordan Poyer tracked down the New England running back and punched the ball out, and Micah Hyde returned it into Patriots territory.
However, Buffalo could only muster a 35-yard Stephen Hauschka field goal in response. The Bills moved the ball only 14 yards on seven plays.
New England responded with two long drives, both of which ended with points on the board. Matt LaCosse caught an 8-yard touchdown reception to finish off an 11-play drive, while Nick Folk added a 36-yard field goal to culminate a 17-play drive.
Buffalo’s offense struggled for most of the half, but then put it together for a two-minute drill. Allen, who only had 11 yards passing leading up to this drive, completed three of his four attempts for 51 yards. Dawson Knox was on the end of a great pass-and-catch, going for 34 yards and bringing the Bills down to the one-yard-line of New England. The playcalling became a bit more creative, as Allen found Dion Dawkins on a one-yard touchdown pass to even the game at 10-10 going into half time.
The teams then traded punches in the second half. The Patriots forced a three-and-out to open the second half. Buffalo’s defense kept Brady and company under wraps, allowing only a field goal.
Buffalo responded with a stellar route run by Brown, finally making Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore look human. John Brown smoked Gilmore on a double-move, and Allen found him in stride. The 53-yard touchdown receptions gave the Bills a 17-13 lead.
The remainder of the scoring went in favor of the Patriots. Nick Folk knocked through his third field goal of the game with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game. New England’s defense forced a Bills three-and-out, and the Patriots offense responded with another touchdown. Brady found Rex Burkhead in the flat, and the running back atoned for his fumble, breaking multiple tackles en route to the end zone. Julian Edelman scored on the two-point conversion, giving the Patriots a 24-17 lead.
Buffalo drove deep on their final drive of the game, traveling 60 yards on 14 plays. However, their penultimate offensive play put them back on their heels, as Allen was swarmed and took a sack. On the final offensive play for Buffalo, Allen faced the heat of New England’s pass rush. He turned his back to the line and was forced to throw up a low-percentage pass that fell incomplete. It was what was expected of Bill Belichick at that moment.
The Bills defense kept them within striking distance, but the Patriots offense was efficient all game. Brady ended with 271 passing yards on the day. The New England rushing attack was effective as well, totaling 143 yards gained on the ground. The Patriots put up 414 total yards on offense. Buffalo’s defense also failed to register a sack.
Buffalo’s ground attack never really got rolling along. Plus, their aerial attack was limited against Belichick’s defense. Buffalo converted only 2-of-11 third-down attempts during the game.
There were several things to be content with during today’s game for Buffalo. The big plays to Knox and Brown were impressive. Defensively, they forced a turnover on the opening drive.
However, the game still felt like it was a big brother toying around with their little sibling. Buffalo is close, but they are just not there just yet.
Allen was close on several passes. He missed Knox twice in the end zone. It was the usual mix of great passes combined with a few inaccurate tosses.
The Bills will have a chance to show their growth during the Wild Card round of the playoffs. For now, it’s a little bit of what could’ve been, as once again the team falls by one-score to their enemy.
Buffalo wraps up their season next Sunday against the New York Jets at New Era Field.
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