Patriots Wild Card Recap: Defense No-Shows When it Matters Most
As I write this article postgame of an absolutely brutal beatdown, I ask myself how I plan to write this. Especially after a loss like that, there is no good way to write an article like this.
So, with that being said, I will dive into it, The New England Patriots got absolutely destroyed. That is not an understatement, the Patriot’s Wild Card game ended in a 47-17 loss to Buffalo.
Oh, and a dildo was thrown on the field after a Patriots touchdown… because it is not a Bills and Patriots game without a dildo on the field.
So, what happened? Let us break it down into offense and defense. (Hint: The Defense section will be much longer)
Defense Was Nowhere to be Found…
Devin McCourty said it best as he ended his press conference Saturday Night, “embarrassing”. That is the perfect way to describe the performance of the defense for the Patriots Wild Card game.
From the very first drive, you knew it was not there as the Bills marched right down the field and scored. That touchdown was thanks to the defense rushing three and allowing Josh Allen roughly 9.4 seconds in the pocket to complete an insane pass to Dawson Knox. The performance may have been one of the worst I have seen, and the stats show just that.
The defense gave up over 480 yards of total offense, along with 7 total touchdowns. Now, those 7 touchdowns came on seven straight drives. Yes, seven straight drives without allowing a punt. That was just one of the many mind-blowing stats from the loss.
The secondary got burned badly, on top of the defensive line getting absolutely manhandled by the Bills O-Line. A defense that had dominated for most of the regular season showed nothing when it mattered most on Saturday night.
That defense will now be the main focus of the offseason as there are some key pieces that could contemplate retirement (Hightower, and McCourty). One thing is for sure though, this defense needs a make-over in some aspects, starting with the linebacker position.
The offense Was Not as Bad but Still Struggled…
Mac Jones endured the first playoff game of his career, and it wasn’t all that bad, outside of two interceptions, he threw 2 touchdowns and over 200 yards. In fact, he was one of the very few bright spots in what was a bleak game.
Jones and the offense started their first drive with what looked like promising momentum, until he threw an absolute dime of a pass into the endzone to Nelson Agholor, only for it to somehow be picked off by Micah Hyde. It was just a fantastic defensive play overall, the throw was spot on, just a great play by Hyde.
It was after that play that everything started to go downhill. The offense could only muster three points before the half. After that, it was all just garbage time points.
Final Stats for Offense…
Mac Jones was 24 for 38 with 232 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Kendrick Bourne led the team in receiving yards with 77 yards, and 2 touchdowns.
Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson combined for 57 yards rushing.
Final Thoughts on the Patriots Wild Card Loss…
This is what I have been thinking, I am not mad that they lost, it was kind of expected, as much as I wanted them to win I had a feeling that Buffalo was gonna come out guns blazing. What really really irks me is the fact that the team didn’t even show up. The only two people that showed up were Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne.
Going seven straight drives not allowing a punt, and allowing all touchdowns in a playoff game is just downright pathetic.
Coach Bill Belichick said it was “The least competitive game they have played all season.”
It was a heartbreaking loss for sure, given how far they have come this season. No one expected them to be in this spot with a rookie QB, and of course, when you make the playoffs you want to make it far, this just was not the year though. The Buffalo Bills played the better game, and in the end, got the better of the Patriots.
On to 2022…
With that said, it is time to move forward to the offseason and upgrade some key areas of need before attempting another run at the playoffs in 2022.
Enjoy the offseason everyone, and the NFL Playoffs, and we will see everyone in the new league year!
PHOTO CREDIT: Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
-Jeff Hoak (@jeffhoak1)
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