The Good – Defense/Run Game
As we said before, Buffalo’s defense is legit. Your mother and father might even say they’re “too legit to quit”. Tom Brady went 18/39 as the Bills D held number 12 to just 150 yards passing, no touchdowns, and one interception. He’d finish the game with a rating of only 45.9. We’d have to go back to November 27th, 2005 to find a game where Brady finished with a worse rating than he did this past Sunday. Thanks to the Bills defense, Buffalo would actually finish the game with more rushing yards, passing yards, and first downs than the Patriots. Running back, Frank Gore, also looked as good as ever while collecting 109 rushing yards on 17 carries – a 6.4 yard per carry average.
The Bad – Turnovers/Special Teams
Buffalo had four turnovers to New England’s one. If Buffalo had anything less than an elite defense, this game would have been a complete blowout. Quarterback, Josh Allen, threw three interceptions and backup quarterback, Matt Barkley, had one. Each quarterback also had a fumble, both of which were luckily recovered by the offense.
In Buffalo’s second possession, Patriots defensive back, J.C. Jackson, would block a Corey Bojorquez punt that would be scoped up by nine-year captain, Matthew Slater, and returned for an 11-yard touchdown. Surprisingly, it was Slater’s first touchdown in his 12-year career. Bills kicker, Stephen Hauschka, would also miss a 49-yard field goal headed into halftime. If Buffalo wants to be considered true competitors, they’ll need to clean up the turnovers and the special teams play.
The Ugly – Josh Allen Injury
In the first few seconds of the fourth quarter, Josh Allen took a vicious hit from Patriots defensive back, Jonathan Jones. The hit resulted in a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, but the damage had already been done. Allen would suffer a concussion and not be able to return to the game. The second-year quarterback is now in the concussion protocol and must progress through each step to be eligible to play again. Buffalo will be up against a tough Tennessee Titans defense this Sunday with a bye the following week, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Buffalo decided to sit Allen until week seven.
