BSJ Game Report: Patriots 37, Bills 16 — Tight game becomes blowout thanks to D, Lewis

FOXBOROUGH — Everything you need to know from the Patriots’ win over the Bills in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:

HEADLINES

Tight game becomes a blowout: You wouldn’t know it by the final score, but this was a tight game and a bit of a struggle for the Patriots for three quarters. The game was actually tied at 16 late in the third quarter, but the Patriots scored the final 24 points of the game to send the fans merrily to the exits with about four minutes to play. sacks from Marquis Flowers (2.5), Deatrich Wise, Jr. (1.5), Malcom Brown and Adam Butler (one each), and Dion Lewis' heroics, set the stage for what turned out to be a comfortable win.

Another interception for Brady: Tom Brady was intercepted by Bills safety Jordan Poyer early in the second quarter and it was returned for a touchdown. It was the fifth-straight game that Brady has thrown an interception, his longest streak since 2002. It’s somewhat concerning.

Defense does it again: Take away the pick six, and the Patriots’ defense allowed just three field goals. The Bills did some damage with 326 yards and by going 8-for-17 on third downs, but the Patriots buckled down in the red zone again, where the Bills were 0-for-4. Give a lot of credit to their measured pass rush against Tyrod Taylor. Wise, Flowers (two sacks), Brown and Trey Flowers all did a great job keeping Taylor around the pocket. Marquis Flowers did a lot of good work spying Taylor.

TURNING POINT

After the Patriots took a 23-16 lead late in the third quarter, the Bills took two plays to get into New England territory with a 35-yard pass from Taylor to Kelvin Benjamin. The drive basically stalled there when Trey Flowers tackled McCoy for a 1-yard gain on third-and-2, and Sean McDermott elected not to go for it. The Bills missed the field goal, and the Patriots turned the field position into a 12-yard Lewis touchdown. It was over at that point.

SECOND GUESS

Go for it: Bills faced a long fourth-and-1 at the New England 32 early in the fourth quarter and McDermott elected to kick the field goal. Needham’s Steve Hauschka wasn’t even close. If that field goal is not automatic, then the Bills should have gone for it.

THREE UP

Dion Lewis: Posted career-highs with 24 carries for 129 yards, with two touchdowns and another 19 yards receiving. He was basically a one-man wrecking crew.

Marquis Flowers: Got his most extensive playing time of the season as he basically replaced David Harris in the base defense, and his wheels were used a weapon against Tyrod Taylor. Produced two sacks and helped stuff two other runs as a spy against Taylor.

Deatrich Wise: Won’t get a ton of love, but he was much more disciplined in his pass rushes and his near-constant pressure against Taylor’s backside helped the team to produce three sacks. An underrated key performer, one who had been struggling after a strong start to the season.

THREE DOWN

Stephon Gilmore: When healthy, Bills WR Kelvin Benjamin is a tough cover for any cornerback. The Benajmin that was out there on Sunday could barely run as he gutted out a meniscus injury. Yet he had little issue catching the ball against Gilmore (five catches on seven targets for 70 yards), who seems more interested in grabbing arms than playing the ball. The Patriots paid for more than what they’re seeing from Gilmore.

Elandon Roberts: Continues to struggle in the middle of the Patriots’ defense and was a big reason why LeSean McCoy (17 carries, 71 yards) ran effectively before the score got out of hand. Got dusted on McCoy’s 39-yard catch, which was part of his 76 receiving yards.

Malcolm Butler: Deonte Thompson (who?) got four of five targets against him for a game-high 91 yards.

INJURIES

Patrick Chung (leg): Limped off early in the fourth quarter but stayed in the game.

TOP PLAYS

Lewis TD on a screen thanks to good blocks from David Andrews and Shaq Mason.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/945032547712450560

Another Ri-Gronk-ulous catch.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/945006630113984512

THREE TAKES BEDARD WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

Replay Riveron: Look, you might be able to freeze frame a shot or two to show me that Benjamin didn’t catch a touchdown before halftime, but that doesn’t mean it was the right call. To overturn a call on the field, there has to be clear and obvious evidence to the contrary. Time and time again, NFL director of officiating Alberto Riveron inserts himself and replay where it doesn’t need to be. If you need 3-4 minutes to overturn a call, it’s not clear and obvious. That should take 30 seconds tops. That was not the case on the Benjamin catch, so it should have stood. What's strange is that Riveron is not that far removed from being an on-field official, and those are the guys who are probably ticked off that Riveron keeps overruling them. At least with Dean Blandino, who had never been an on-field official, you could understand the trigger finger to overturn calls.

https://twitter.com/MikePereira/status/945019135477600256

The Patriots should use more hurry-up: I know that it takes a lot out of the linemen, and you don't want to risk getting your defense back on the field too quickly, but when the Patriots are scuffling a bit on offense, they should turn to the no-huddle more because it's very effective. At least six times on Sunday, the Bills couldn't get lined up right and it was a factor in Lewis' 12-yard touchdown on a screen pass.

Marquis Flowers deserves a bigger role: After toiling as a special teams-only player with the Bengals and the start of his tenure with the Patriots, Flowers continues to be effective when he's used on defense. He was a star against the speedy Bills on Sunday, and the Patriots need his speed on the field. Time to find more playing time for No. 59.