Tag: Bills Patriots

The Morning After: Patriots’ postseason bid comes up short

The offense was clicking, but it was too little, too late for the Patriots in Sunday’s 35-23 loss to the Bills.

The New England Patriots have finished the year 8-9 and have missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. They fought hard but ultimately fell short in a 35-23 loss against the 13-3 Buffalo Bills, who clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC with the win.

The Patriots still had a chance to make the playoffs with a loss, but they needed the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins to lose as well. However, both teams pulled out Week 18 victories, which helped the Dolphins clinch the final wild card spot in the AFC.

New England has had an up and down season led by their elite defense that showed how good they can be on Sunday by forcing three turnovers by the Bills.

What ultimately went against the Patriots’ efforts was not one, but two kickoffs returned for touchdowns by Bills return man Nyheim Hines, including one on the very first play of the game. The Patriots special teams were horrid all game, even outside of the returns, and ultimately cost the team a victory on a day when the defense and offense both played well.

This season came to a frustrating end, as there was hardly a single game where all three facets—offense, defense, and special teams—played like a cohesive football team for the Patriots. If anything, that speaks volumes to the level of engagement the players have and the level of coaching we have seen.

Let’s get into the leftover notes from Sunday’s game.

Why the Patriots’ rushing attack will be the Bills’ biggest challenge

The Patriots-Bills Monday night matchup has all kinds of things to watch, but focus on New England’s power run game. The Bill should be.

Monday night’s matchup between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills is the first of two this season between the AFC East’s two best teams, and those two games will have a lot to say about how a conference in which there is no one dominant team shakes out. You could say that the Patriots are the team of the moment with their 8-4 record, and their six straight wins (by an average score of 35-10), and their ability to put things together in every facet of the game.

The Bills are rolling with the NFL’s best defense by DVOA, and that’s been the case all season, but the Patriots are right on their heels — and with the loss of star cornerback Tre’Davious White for the rest of the season to a knee injury, there’s a new and unfortunate vulnerability. The passing game has been hit-and-miss, the run game must be schemed up to succeed, and Buffalo, which held a 5-2 record after their Week 8 win over the Dolphins, are 2-2 since. One of those losses was a greasy embarrassment against the Jaguars, but the real soul-stealer was a 41-15 Week 10 demolition at the hands of the Colts in which running back Jonathan Taylor set a franchise record with five touchdowns — four on the ground, and one through the air.

It wasn’t just Taylor who was great against the Bills; it was Indianapolis’ entire offensive structure for their run game. Taylor’s big plays were blocked up about as well as they could be, and even for a defense that has been one of the best against the run this season, there’s no real counter for that.

(Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

This is an important note for Monday night’s game, because if the Colts don’t have the league’s most dominant rushing attack right now, it might be because the Patriots do. That starts up front with an outstanding offensive line, it extends to the factor of fullback Jakob Johnson, and it all benefits Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, two great power/speed backs.

Harris has 643 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season on 154 carries; he’s averaged 2.9 yards per carry after contact, and he’s forced 30 missed tackles. Stevenson spent a bit of his rookie season in Bill Belichick’s doghouse, but he’s figured that out, and he’s gained 351 yards and scored three touchdowns on just 76 carries. The Oklahoma alum has averaged 3.2 yards after contact per carry, with 16 forced missed tackles.

It’s a load to deal with, and as great as Buffalo’s defense has been throughout the season, it’s going to be an issue for them when this game kicks off.

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots Prediction, Game Preview

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots prediction, game preview, and fantasy player to watch.

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots prediction, game preview, and fantasy player to watch.

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots Broadcast

Date: Monday, December 28
Game Time: 8:15 p, ET
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
Network: ESPN

[jwplayer 4sPZjqPj]

– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Buffalo Bills (11-3) vs New England Patriots (6-8) Game Preview

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Why Buffalo Bills Will Win

The Bills have already clinched the AFC East, and now they’re jockeying for position. There’s a shot with a little help to move up to the 2, but first, beating New England for a second time would be sweet.

The Patriots are struggling offensively, failing to score more than 20 points in four of the last five games, and with just 15 total points in the last two. There’s little to no passing game, and the ground attack has dried up.

On the flip side, Buffalo is on an offensive bender, coming off a 534-yard, 48-point day against Denver as part of a run of four straight wins and seven of the last eight, only losing to Arizona on a Hail Mary.

– CFN Expert Picks: NFL Week 16

Why New England Patriots Will Win

The defense hasn’t been all that bad.

The offense might be struggling, but overall the running game continues to work. There aren’t a lot of turnovers, controlling the clock isn’t an issue, and the team is dominating the field position battle. The run defense might have a few problems, but the secondary hasn’t allowed more than 190 yards in any of the last four games.

The Buffalo run defense has looked strong partly because it hasn’t faced too many teams that can run. New England was able to crank up the ground game in the first meeting – running for 188 yards – but after a horrible last few games, Cam Newton has to get the chains moving in any way possible.

– College Football Bowl Previews, Predictions

Fantasy Football Player To Watch

QB Josh Allen, Buffalo
The Bills won the first meeting with New England, but Allen was held to 154 passing yards with no touchdown passes, but he ran for a score. On fire lately, he has thrown eight touchdown passes over the last three games and ran for two scores last week against Denver. This is it. This is the last gasp for some in their championships, but dealing with the New England defense is going to be a fight.

– NFL Week 16 Schedule, Predictions

What’s Going To Happen

It’s a pride game for a New England team that’s been struggling way too much. This is their playoff game, but Buffalo is playing well enough to overcome a great gameplan from Bill Belichick and the staff.

The Buffalo run defense will have a few problems, but the offensive side will step it up after a rough first half. It’ll take a while for the machine to heat up, but the Bills will stay hot going into the home date with Miami.

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots Prediction, Line

Buffalo 27, New England 17
Bet on Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots with BetMGM
Buffalo -7, o/u: 46
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 3.5

5: Die Hard
1: Every other Christmas movie ever made

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