Patriots vs Bills Takeaways: New England's offense finally got going in win
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – The New England Patriots have finally done it. They have finally won a game at home. The offensive line looked solid, Mac Jones was throwing to multiple different players including Demario Douglas who had a standout day, and the defense was able to come away with a couple big stops. Definitely a positive […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – The New England Patriots have finally done it. They have finally won a game at home.
The offensive line looked solid, Mac Jones was throwing to multiple different players including Demario Douglas who had a standout day, and the defense was able to come away with a couple big stops. Definitely a positive sign for the team.
And to top it all off, Jones was able to connect with Mike Gesicki on National Tight End Day to give the Patriots the lead with 12 seconds remaining. And a fumble by Josh Allen that was recovered by New England on the final play of the game sealed it for the Patriots.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 29, Bills 25
Notable Plays
First Quarter
– Patriots opening drive is the best the offense has look in a while, getting down to the 20 yard line, but they are unable to get the first down. Chad Ryland hits a 30-yard field goal to give the Patriots the lead.
– On Josh Allen's first pass intended for Dawson Knox, Jabrill Peppers came up with the interception.
– Demario Douglas makes a diving catch to get the Patriots into the red zone and Ezekiel Elliott is able to charge through on back-to-back runs to get into the end zone.
– Patriots had a third-down stop, but J.C. Jackson was called for illegal contact when covering Stefon Diggs, providing the Bills with the first down. Jalen Mills was visibly upset about that call.
– Allen hit a wide open Knox in the end zone, but the Bills were called for offensive pass interference and it came back.
Second Quarter
– Bills kicker Tyler Bass hits the 36-yard field goal to put Buffalo on the board.
– After the Patriots and Bills are forced to punt on the following two drives, Demario Douglas has an impressive 25-yard punt return that puts the Patriots on Buffalo's 46. Mac Jones follows it up with a completion to Kendrick Bourne who shows off a little speed to get 33-yards on the play.
– Chad Ryland his a 24-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 10 point lead.
– Tyler Bass misses a 42-yard field goal with under two minutes remaining and the Patriots have the ball on their 32.
HALFTIME SCORE: Patriots 13, Bills 3
Third Quarter
– It was an ugly drive for the Patriots defense to start the second half and it resulted in the Bills getting into the end zone for the first time on Sunday. Josh Allen hit James Cook for an 8-yard touchdown, with Jabrill Peppers missing the initial tackle.
– After Belichick had to burn a timeout because the field goal unit couldn't get aligned in time, Chad Ryland stepped up and was able to hit the 49-yard field goal.
Fourth Quarter
– Ja'Whaun Bentley lands a major hit on Dawson Knox who was attempting to haul in the catch on 4th and 2. The ball was knocked out of his hands and the Patriots forced a turnover on downs.
– Mac Jones throws a perfectly placed ball to Pharaoh Brown who brings it in for a 26-yard gain. On that same drive, Mac Jones finds Kendrick Bourne for a 4-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots go for two points, and despite the Bills getting flagged for two penalties, Jones' rush is no good.
– Another bad drive for the Patriots offense who on that final play where Allen connected with Diggs for a 24-yard touchdown, wasn't able to bring anyone down. Tackling has certainly been an issue this game for the defense.
– Kendrick Bourne fumbles in the Patriots end and the Bills recover on the 29-yard line. Josh Allen runs it into the end zone, and the Bills follow it up with a successful two-point conversion after Allen finds Knox in the end zone.
– Mac Jones connects with Mike Gesicki for a one-yard touchdown pass to give the Patriots the lead with 12 seconds remaining.
– Josh Allen fumbled and Patriots recovered to seal the victory.
- T Calvin Anderson
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
- WR Kayshon Boutte
- OLB Josh Uche
- DE Keion White
- QB Malik Cunningham
- QB Will Grier (3rd)
Bills Inactive List
- SS Damar Hamlin
- OLB A.J. Klein
- T Germain Ifedi
- G Alex Anderson
- TE Quinten Morris
- DT Ed Oliver
Observations:
– The Patriots wore their silver pants for the first time this season.
– During warmups, Mike Onwenu was seeing getting some snaps at right tackle, which he hasn't played since 2021.
– In the third quarter, Jalen Raegor hauled in an 11-yard catch from Mac Jones for the first down and marking his first catch as a Patriot.
– On the Patriots two point conversion attempt, Trent Brown was reportedly shaken up after the play and headed into the blue medical tent. Vederian Lowe replaced him on the following drive and was immediately flagged as an ineligible man downfield.
