Patriots Week 16 Recap: Defense No-Shows In Brutal Loss to Buffalo
Coming off a tough Week 15 loss to the Colts that ended their 7 game win streak, the Patriots looked to bounce back in Week 16 in a pivotal showdown with the Buffalo Bills.
A game where the Patriots needed all phases of the game to be rolling, did not go as expected in any way, shape, or form. So, let us break down the game, and what exactly went wrong.
The Offense Sputtered Coming Out the Gates…
Now, this was a loss placed on all aspects of the team. Although, I would not say it was 50/50. After coming out lethargic in the first half, the offense kept the team in this game, most notably Damien Harris.
Harris ended his day with 103 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The running back powered the offense and single handily kept them in the game. Something that seemed to work well a couple of weeks back in Buffalo.
The passing attack was sub-par at best. The team could not get a consistent passing game going, and when they were able to, it was just negated by undisciplined penalties on the o-line.
The team was also missing a key pass catcher in Nelson Agholor.
Rookie, Mac Jones ended his day by completing 14 passes on 32 attempts for 145 yards and 2 Interceptions. Meanwhile, the tight ends were virtually invisible during the game, as Hunter Henry had the only catch.
All in all, just a rough day for the offense, for the second consecutive week may I add. Like I said though, that was not the worst part, that came in the form of the defense.
The Defense No-Showed and Fell Flat…
Ah yes, the masterpiece shutdown performance by the New England Defense… wait… no that’s not right…
It was a brutal day for the Patriots defense overall, not allowing a Buffalo punt once in the game, while also not allowing a sack.
There is not much for statistics to sugar coat this performance by the defense. They allowed 3 touchdowns on 347 yards, and 47 attempts. All of this while allowing 125 yards to receiver, Isaiah McKenzie.
Josh Allen put on an absolute clinic against this defense and picked on certain defensive players (Myles Bryant) when he saw the chance.
Final Thoughts on an Abysmal Week 16…
Look, it was a crappy loss. Especially coming off a game like Week 15 against the Colts. What really irked me, and most fans was that this was the kind of performance put on against a division rival in a game where if you won, you had easily a 99 percent chance to win the AFC East.
Now, I could get into the nitty gritty of things and rip the refs for their aspect and handling of the game, but, for this article, I will not. As much as it sucked to see some of those plays happen, it also needs to be brought to the other side of the team needing to be more disciplined in this situation.
Now, I am not saying I agree with their calls, because I do not, but all in all that was a main factor in the loss.
A Little After thought to Close it Out…
Myles Bryant, that is it…
I mean, come on, the guy was absolutely torched by Isaiah McKenzie for 11 catches and 125 yards. At some point something has to give. It was painful to watch on that final Bills touchdown drive of Allen throwing to McKenzie over and over and over again because Bryant could not keep up.
There was so much that went wrong with this game, that I could not fit it all into this article.
This loss hurts, but, thus is the game of football and how it is played. Now, the team must look ahead and keep on trucking, because there are only 2 weeks left and not a lot of time to get the job done.
The Patriots will Take on the Jaguars next Sunday at Gillette Stadium at 1 pm on CBS.
Photo Courtesy: Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images
-Jeff Hoak (@jeffhoak1)
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