FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It appears that the AFC East still runs through Buffalo.
For a few weeks, it seemed like the Patriots were going to recapture the division title. Following their win over Buffalo in Week 13, the path for the Pats was clear — beat the Bills one more time and the crown is basically theirs.
The problem, however, is that the Patriots didn’t have gale-force winds to help slow down quarterback Josh Allen and the talented Bills offense. Sunday’s matchup was certainly cold, but the Pats needed to play good defense in order to beat the Bills this time rather than rely on inclement weather.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is sacked by Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) in the first quarter of Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium. Jones completed only 14 of 32 passes for 145 yards and threw two interceptions.
Instead, Buffalo came out strong and showed that the days of New England’s dominance in the AFC East are a thing of the past as the Bills handed the Patriots a 33-21 loss. Following a seven-game win streak, the Patriots drop their second-straight contest and fall to 9-6.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the Bills now have an 88% chance of winning the AFC East.
Here’s how it all fell apart for the Pats on Sunday:
Bills backup Isaiah McKenzie tortured the Patriots defense
The Bills came into this matchup without wide receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis, who were out due to COVID-19 protocols. It didn’t seem to matter. The Patriots defense had no answer for Allen, who completed 30-of-47 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 12 times for 64 yards. With Beasley and Davis out, the Bills relied on Isaiah McKenzie, who came into this game with seven receptions for 38 yards.
That didn't matter. The Pats couldn't stop McKenzie, who finished with a career-high 11 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. Other than the final drive before the half, where they ran out the clock, the Bills entered the red zone on every drive (seven). They didn’t punt at all.
McKenzie scored a 3-yard touchdown to put the Bills up, 7-0, to start the game. Buffalo’s next four trips to the red zone came with varying degrees of success. After the Patriots tied it, the Bills retook the lead, 10-7, on a Tyler Bass 25-yard field goal at 9:01 of the second quarter.
The best moment for the Pats defense came on a goal-line stand, when it stopped the Bills on fourth-and-1 at 4:51 of the second quarter.
The Patriots helped the Bills on their next drive. Faced with a fourth-and-7 from the 39-yard line, rookie Christian Barmore was flagged for encroachment, resulting in a first down for Buffalo. On fourth-and-2, Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a gain of 23 at the 11-yard line. Then on third-and-11, Allen hit Diggs for a 12-yard touchdown at 1:45 of the second to extend Buffalo’s lead to 17-7.
The Bills opened up the second half with a 34-yard field goal, extending their lead to 20-7 at 9:02 of the third quarter. McKenzie’s 28-yard reception to start the fourth quarter led to a Devin Singletary 2-yard touchdown run with 11:42 remaining.
Down 26-21, the Patriots desperately needed a stop. On third-and-10 with 7:36 left, Allen hit McKenzie for 17 yards. On the next play, the receiver caught a 15-yard pass. The Bills converted three third downs in this game-clinching drive.
Allen capped it off with a 2-yard touchdown throw to Dawson Knox with 2:30 left.
Damien Harris carried the Patriots offense
The Patriots struggled offensively and that was seen as the unit scored seven points in the first half.
Mac Jones (14 of 32, 145 yards and two interceptions) looked off and it’s fair to say that the Bills gave the rookie all he could handle and more. However, the Patriots were able to claw themselves back into this game thanks to running back Damien Harris.
Harris missed last week’s game due to a hamstring injury. He was limited in every practice during the week. Nevertheless, Harris ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns.
The Pats’ first series saw an uneventful three-and-out as the offense gained a minus-6 yards on three plays — run stuff, pass deflection and sack. On the next series, however, Harris ran16 yards for a touchdown at 14:28 of the second quarter.
That’s as good as it got for the Patriots in the first half.
At 8:09, Jones’ pass was tipped by Bills linebacker Matt Milano and was intercepted by safety Micah Hyde. That play came right after N’Keal Harry dropped what should have been an easy first-down reception.
The Pats went into halftime down, 17-7, but Harris ran in for a 1-yard touchdown at 1:41 of the third quarter to close the gap to 20-14. Another Bills touchdown gave Buffalo a 26-14 lead, but Harris answered again, scoring an 8-yard touchdown with 7:35 remaining.
Pats stayed in the game thanks to fourth-down conversions
The Patriots started this game 0-5 on third down. By the time the fourth quarter came, they were 1-for-8. They finished 1-for-10. Despite the lack of success, the Pats trailed just 20-14 entering the final quarter. A big reason for that was their success on fourth down, where they went 5-for-6.
The Pats first two scoring drives were extended by fourth-down conversions. Considering how difficult it was for them to move the ball, it made sense for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to get aggressive anytime they were near the red zone.
In the first quarter, their first scoring drive saw them convert two fourth downs. The first (fourth-and-1) was at midfield and Harris ran for a gain of four. Their next (fourth-and-1) on the 28-yard line resulted in Harris running for 12 yards. He ran in for a 16-yard touchdown on the next snap.
The Pats' second scoring drive saw them convert twice on fourth downs. The first (fourth-and-1) at the 23-yard line saw Jones keep the ball for a gain of six. The next (fourth-and-3) from the 10-yard line saw Jones hit Jakobi Meyers for a gain of seven. Two plays later, Harris ran in for a 1-yard touchdown at 1:41 of the third quarter.
With the game out of reach, the Pats went for two more fourth-down conversions. They hit the first, but Jones threw an interception on a Hail Mary pass on the next.
