Everything you need to know from the Patriots’ loss to the Bills in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:
HEADLINES
Patriots are light years behind Bills ... in just about every way: Bill Belichick wondered aloud last year, in the wake of the playoff loss to the Bills, whether that performance was a bad night or emblematic of bigger issues. Well, we have a resounding answer ... the Patriots aren't remotely in the area code of the Bills in just about every way. In previous years, a 10-point deficit for more than a quarter wouldn't feel that bad ... but it felt like a 40-point deficit. The final score isn't indicative of how thorough of a beating this was. Josh Allen and the Bills' offense could do anything they wanted, and often hurt themselves. The Patriots' offense, outside of one play, didn't look like it had a clue on how to move the ball.
Defense has no answer, again, for Allen, Diggs: Last year JC Jackson got roasted by Stefon Diggs, really the only reliable receiver for Allen. This year, it was Jonathan Jones' turn. Diggs finished with 9 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, and it seemed like every catch was to convert a third down.
The Patriots might as well call Josh Allen their daddy. He completed over 60 percent of his passes for almost 7 yards per attempt and two touchdowns (had a 60-yard bomb wiped out due to a hold). He also ran 5 times for 23 yards. The stats don't tell the tale. Allen was very much in conservative, hand the ball off, take the checkdown mode. You never thought the Bills were in any danger — even with the Patriots took a brief 7-3 lead. It's like Allen and the Bills were toying with the Patriots and preferred to torture them for all 60 minutes instead of ending the pain early.
Patriots offense punchless again: Outside of one scoring drive, the other Patriots drives when like this: four three-and-outs and one four-play drive as six drives ended with punts. The pathetic state of this offense hit home at the end of the first half where they wasted two timeouts around a QB sneak, and were left with a 48-yard field goal that missed off the crossbar. Matt Patricia had little clue how to attack this Bills defense from the start — the Patriots fumbled a 3rd-and-1 handoff on the third play of the game when Mac Jones and Rhamondre Stevenson each ran a different handoff — and it got worse as Patricia searched for any plays to move the ball. Outside of the TD play, the Patriots crossed the Buffalo 44-yard line once in the game.
Marcus Jones makes offensive impact: Two games after providing the only points to beat the Jets on a punt return, Jones made his first offensive appearance count as he took a pass behind the line and went 48-yards for an electric score that briefly gave the Patriots a 7-3 lead and hope to Gillette Stadium.
The kid can do it all 🤯@MarcusJonesocho | #ProBowlVote #BUFvsNE on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/1Bu00fgnqE
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 2, 2022
TURNING POINT
Allen's TD to Gabe Davis, as Jonathan Jones appeared to think his night was through. 17-7 felt like 57-0.
JOSHUA FREAKIN' ALLEN.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 2, 2022
📺: @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/AL3D8A05n9
SECOND GUESS
What the hell was this?!
2-1-BUF 35 (:50) (Shotgun) R.Stevenson left guard to BUF 35 for no gain (T.Edmunds).
Timeout #2 by NE at 00:34.
3-1-BUF 35 (:34) M.Jones up the middle to BUF 33 for 2 yards (T.Edmunds). R5
Timeout #3 by NE at 00:32
Any competent offense would have called two plays in the huddle on the sneak. The Patriots are not a competent offense, or team, at this moment.
TWO UP
Marcus Jones: Two of the past three games he's put up basically the only TDs the team had. That's great for him, sad for the team.
Rhamondre Stevenson: He was the offense with 16 touches for 78 yards.
THREE DOWN
Bill Belichick: Almost a full calendar later after getting run off the field by the Bills twice, Belichick has let his program fall even further behind, if you can believe that.
Matt Patricia: As if there was any doubt about how far out of his element he is, the Bills made him look foolish. Patricia demonstrated no clue how to get this offensive to be productive.
Myles Bryant/Jonathan Jones: Bryant gave up on a tackle, and Jones gave up pass coverage in the end zone for a touchdown. Absolutely unacceptable.
TOP PLAYS
Is that a joke?
INJURIES
Jakobi Meyers (head): Took a head shot in the end zone near the end of the game and did not return.
TWO TAKES BEDARD WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
I hope this is rock-bottom: There haven't been many non-competitive games in Bill Belichick's career, but he now has two-straight at home against the Bills, a team they routinely owned. The good news, I think, is it can't be any worse and has to be a shock to the system of the entire organization. Look, nothing is going to change during the season as far as coaches and from ownership, but safe to say a lot of jobs are on the line in the final five games of the season.
Defense was embarrassing: The offense was absolutely inept, but the defense was non-competitive in this game with 11 months to prepare, personnel moves made in the offseason to combat the Bills, and the Patriots were almost fully healthy (ok, didn't have Jalen Mills). The Bills did whatever they wanted on offense at every point in this game. The Patriots didn't get closer to the Bills' offense, they slid even further away.