In the preview, I considered this wild card game between the Patriots and Bills as the third part of a movie trilogy. However, the third act for Patriots fans felt like an unscripted movie ending with a villain like the Joker beating Batman badly. The Patriots were out-planned, outplayed, and out-coached in a dominating performance by their divisional rival. In this article, we dissect the team’s performance in the game and the overall takeaway from this season.
1. Defensive meltdown-Josh Allen feasted on Bill Belichick’s defense with a nearly flawless performance. Allen completed 21/25 passes for 308 yards, five touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Allen also had 66 yards from 6 carries to overwhelm the players on defense. The defense gave Josh all the time he needed to cut them open with precise throws and had zero sacks on the quarterback. The Bills also outrushed the Patriots 174 to 89. The Bills became the first team in league history to go an entire game with no kicks, punts, or turnovers. To illustrate how bad the defense played, the Bills’ first negative play from scrimmage was a kneel-down from backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky to run the clock in the fourth quarter. Yes, the defense was abysmal.
2. Opportunistic defenses are flawed-the two teams that led the NFL in interceptions entering the playoffs were the Dallas Cowboys with 26 and the New England Patriots with 23. The Cowboys were able to force an interception against the 49ers that gave them a chance in the end to snatch a victory. However, the Patriots did not come close to forcing a turnover. As I watched over the weekend, it just proved that good defenses are not built based on turnover but to play fundamentally sound, create pressure and win one-on-one battles. If the defense fails to force turnovers, then the chance of winning football games is slim.
3. Mac Keeps his head above water-Mac threw two interceptions on the night but the first was a testament to an incredible play by Micah Hyde in laying out for a diving catch. The second glanced off Hunter Henry but it was not the quarterback’s fault. Despite the defensive failures, Jones showed grit and pride by making plays to the last whistle. Jone finished the game completing 24 of 38 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 2 picks. Jones’ playoff debut in Buffalo is an experience he will never forget, and it will make him stronger.
4. Kendrick Bourne stands tall- Bourne was one of the few players who could feel good about his contribution to the game. Bourne played with energy and determination unlike many of his teammates by making seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He beat man-to-man coverage and was a constant outlet for Mac Jones. The Patriots will need to revamp its Wide Receivers in 2022 but Bourne looks like a good player to keep building around Mac Jones.
5. The sour ending to a solid season-the Patriots had a good but not great season. It feels that the season felt like a rough flight into the unknown. It started 1-4 when the plane struggled to take off, and it included losing to Brady in his return game and the Cowboys in heartbreaking fashion. Then, the plane cruised in-flight when they won eight straight that went into their buy week by beating the Chargers, Titans, and Bills on Monday Night Football. The flight took sudden dissent after the bye week with the team losing 4 of their last five games. It includes losing to the Bills twice and the Dolphins. It was a sour note to end a season in which a Patriot fan would accept making the playoffs after a disastrous 2020 season. However, there is a lot to be done to reel in the Bills and wrestle the AFC East crown back to Gillette Stadium.
