McAdam: With passing attack sputtering, Patriots dominate with ground game

FOXBOROUGH -- Having lost their best deep threat for the remainder of the season during the week and with their quarterback less than sharp -- and seemingly hobbled -- in recent weeks, the Patriots didn't try anything fancy Sunday.

Instead, they went back to basics and opted to run around, over and through the Buffalo Bills in a 24-12 win at Gillette Stadium that helped clinched the franchise's 10th straight AFC East title.

The Pats ran 47 times and chewed up 273 yards on the ground, their second-highest single-game total under Bill Belichick and their biggest total since 2008. Sony Michel led the way with 116 yards on 18 attempts, while James White contributed 41 yards on eight carries.

Even Cordarrelle Patterson, reprising his role out of the backfield from earlier in the season, chipped in with 66 yards on just four tries.



"It's awesome,'' said center David Andrews on the success of the running game. "We can get them going and they can make plays. We love getting them the ball. We just try to go out there each week and do what's asked of us. We were able to get the running game going and as offensive linemen, you always love that.''

In recent weeks, the Pats had stalled out trying to run the ball, and that lack of balance in their offensive attack contributed to a paltry 10 points in Pittsburgh this week.

"There was definitely frustration (about the inability to run the ball),'' acknowledged guard Shaq Mason.

In practice this week, offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia reportedly challenged his charges to lift their game and help compensate for the loss of wide receiver Josh Gordon.

From the first quarter, there seemed little doubt that the Pats were going to try to most of their damage on the ground, with 85 yards piled up in the first quarter.

"You can't allow a team to run against you like that,'' lamented Bills coach Sean McDermott. "To be able to run the football like they did is not good enough on our part.''

"As the game progresses, you kind of go with what's working,'' added fullback James Develin. "We got things going early with the running game a little bit and we kept going back to that well, just trying to bore out tough yards. Our offensive line did a really good job, our backs ran really hard and our receivers gave us a great effort down the field.

"We created space. It was a really good team effort in the run game.''

The success of the ground game more than made up for a passing attack which couldn't seem to get untracked in the first half. Julian Edelman had two more drops, a pass from Tom Brady tipped off Rob Gronkowski's hands for an interception. Rex Burkhead cut short a route sooner than expected, resulting in another interception.

So, the running game had to do the job. And it served the dual purpose of putting points on the board -- all three New England touchdowns on the afternoon came on the ground -- and wearing down the Bills' defensive group.

On the first scoring drive -- on the Pats' second possession -- the Pats gobbled up 55 yards on six plays without putting the ball in the air. Often, the gains were the result of a big offensive set, with Develin and second tight end Dwayne Allen on hand, providing a punishing, physical presence to the attack.

"Believe me, it was a fun day to be a fullback today,'' said Develin. "It was kind of old school football -- just line it up and get after it. It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun with these guys today and I was really proud of how we bore out some tough yards.''

Late December is a strange time for a team to still be trying to establish its identity, but it's possible that Sunday's win serves as a blueprint going forward. With Gordon gone, Brady not 100 percent and colder conditions the rest of the way, the Pats may be better suited to rely on the running game.

"This time of year,'' said Brady, "I think whatever it takes to win, that's what you've got to do.  Whatever it takes on a week-to-week basis, I think that's what we've got to do.''