As Mac Jones took the final kneel to seal this game, the famous words of AL Davis rung in my ears “Just Win Baby”. At the end of every game, the most important thing is that your teams walk with away a win. It is not like college football, where you get to go higher in the rankings because of destroying the opposition. In big boy football, the only that matters is the win-loss column. The Patriots’ plan was obvious, be the first team that scores first and force the Bills to come back in difficult weather conditions. The team executed their plans to perfection and are now on a 7-game winning streak. In this article, we will examine 5 takeaways from this classic Monday Night Football game.
1. Run the Ball-what I admired about this Patriot performance was how the Patriots bludgeoned the Bills on the ground game. The Patriots outrushed the Bills 222 yards to 99 yards and made 46 rushes compared to 25. The monumental play of the game moment was Damien Harris’ play on a 3rd and five at the Patriots 36-yard line. Harris burst through a hole up the middle and dashed down the field for a 64-yard touchdown. Harris finished with 111 yards and was supported by Stevenson and Bolden who finished with 78 and 28 yards respectively. The offensive line imposed their will on their divisional rival and demonstrated tremendous physicality which was too much to handle. Fans and analysts knew the game would be decided on the run game, and the Bills failed to stop it made this win very satisfying.
2. Elite Coaching-many fans may feel this was an easy game to coach, and there was little strategy in this low-scoring game. However, I think Bill Belichick and his staff deserve high praise for their execution in this matchup. Belichick had the guts to stick with the running game resisting the temptation to fling the ball down the field in gusty winds. After seeing Mac run a bootleg and making the ball sail to Jonnu Smith, he did not put his rookie in a difficult spot. Also, it was critical to go for two points after the touchdown because later in the game, the Bills needed to get into the end zone and not just get a field goal to tie. The Patriots became the first team since 1974 to win a game with only three pass attempts and two completions.
3. Secondary Play-the Patriots preserved the lead by making stops in the red zone late in the fourth quarter. The Patriots’ secondary made the big plays to stop the Bills from getting into the end zone. On the Bills’ penultimate drive, Adrian Phillips dislodged the ball preventing Dawson Knox from catching the touchdown. On the last Bills drive, Myles Bryant made a brilliant play to knock down a pass heading towards Gabriel Davis in the end zone. The Patriots secondary made crucial plays in high leverage moments to score the big victory
4. N’Keal Harry- Harry was criticized for seeking a trade away from the team during the off-season. However, he has played well when the team has required it this season. However, last night he almost cost his team by failing to get out of the way after a Bills punt. It was a dumb play because it was not the night to catch the ball on a punt return in swirling winds. The Bills capitalized with Allen throwing a dart to Davis for a touchdown. Thankfully, it didn’t cost his team the win. Hopefully, N’keal learns his lesson from the disastrous play.
5. The Road Ahead-the Patriots are now the number one seed in the conference with nine wins and four losses. The team will also benefit from rest as they head into their bye week. They will need to be ready to roll after the bye because they will face the Colts away and the Bills at home in back-to-back weeks. Nonetheless, the Patriots are in a good position for the stretch run into the playoffs.
