Instant analysis: #Patriots stampede over #Bills on Monday night (via @jdiloro):
The Buffalo Bills fell to the New England Patriots, 14-10, in a game with massive postseason implications.
The Bills dropped to seventh place in the AFC playoff picture at 7-6. Meanwhile, the Patriots move to the top of the AFC standings at 9-4.
There were tons of storylines coming into this outiong. However, the one that took center stage was the weather, as the gusty wind conditions limited any sort of dynamic play through the air.
This posed a major issue for Buffalo’s offense, as quarterback Josh Allen could not completely get on the same page with his receivers. Several of Allen’s passes floated and went off course.
While the weather stunted the offenses, it didn’t hinder the Patriots from dominating things in the trenches. To say New England committed to the run game is an understatement.
The Patriots ran the ball 46 times throughout the night. Conversely, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels only called three passing plays for rookie QB Mac Jones.
New England’s ground attack highlights a bigger problem for the Bills.
Buffalo’s defensive line was moved off the ball several times throughout the night. Part of that had to do with fatigue, as the Bills defensive front four faced had to face so many rushing plays.
New England also committed to using six offensive linemen. However, the Patriots put up 222 yards on the ground, including a 64-yard run by Damien Harris to open the scoring:
Buffalo was forced to lean on their own ground game more than they have in any other game this year. Unfortunately, the Bills did not make a great deal of headway on the ground.
The interior of the offensive line failed to create running lanes. Buffalo running backs Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, and Matt Breida combined for 60 yards on 19 rushes. The only glimmer of a run game occurred when Allen took off with his legs.
There were issues with pass protection as well. Allen was under duress often.
The pressure from New England forced Allen to make bad decisions. Allen’s eyes often moved away from his target while he was under heat. The weather forced passes off target.
All told, Allen completed half of his 30 attempts for 145 passing yards.
For a seemingly elite offense, the Bills once again struggled to complete drives. Buffalo’s only touchdown was set up by a gift turnover, as a punt attempt hit the helmet of Pats returner N’Keal Harry, setting up the Bills with the ball at New England’s 12-yard line.
Buffalo scored on the next play, a touchdown pass to wideout Gabriel Davis:
Buffalo squandered opportunities throughout the game. Outside of the Davis touchdown, the Bills could only add a field goal with the wind at their backs.
They also failed to score points on their final two offensive drives, both of which ended in the Patriots red zone. Tyler Bass’s 33-yard field goal was pushed to the right by the wind, and the final drive ended with a fourth-down pass defensed by Myles Bryant.
It was apparent that the Patriots did not respect the Bills run game. With the game conditions, the run game would be the most important part of the game plan.
New England made their commitment to the run game and Buffalo could not get anything moving on the ground. This put the Bills in some unfavorable situations, especially on third down.
The Pats did not have to lean on their rookie quarterback at all, which only helped the visitors. Buffalo’s game plan could not account for the New England defense and their run game. Bill Belichick won the battle over Sean McDermott in this matchup.
The road does not get any easier next week for the Bills, as they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the defending champions. Buffalo lost their fifth game of the season, and it’s also the Bills fifth Conference loss. With only five games remaining, the final month of the season will be quite chaotic for Buffalo as they make their push for a playoff spot.
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