Secondary: B-
Let’s get the bad out of the way first with the Bills secondary, Taron Johnson. The second year man had the task of trying to cover Julian Edelman, one of the best slot receivers in NFL history. It did not go well for Johnson. Edelman had five catches and 72 yards, the receiver had his way with Johnson, and a tepid Patriots offense exploded.
Now the good, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. The two safeties had strong games, and started on the first New England drive. On a Rex Burkhead catch and run, Jordan Poyer punched the ball out of his hands and Micah Hyde recovered the ball to set up Buffalo’s first scoring drive.
The two also impacted the run defense by coming up into the box when the Bills defensive line wasn’t performing to their normal standards. Poyer and Hyde combined for 17 tackles.
But overall, the secondary wasn’t great for the Bills. Tom Brady found a way to get the ball out fast, a lot. That negatively effected Buffalo’s pass rushing abilities in this one.
Incredelman. @edelman11 | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/mw4ERagjUr
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 22, 2019