The toss sweep out of “heavy personnel” was the bread-and-butter play of the New England Patriots’ game plan on a blustery night in Orchard Park.
New England turned the play into the first touchdown of the game and never trailed afterward en route to a 14-10 victory Monday night.
Here's a closer look at key plays that shaped the game:
Big cutback. The Patriots ran a toss sweep to the left to running back Damien Harris, who cut back against the flow of the play up the middle of the field for a 64-yard touchdown.
"That can’t happen," said Bills coach Sean McDermott. "That’s a big play whether you throw it or run it. When you run the ball 45 yards, you’re gonna get some yards here or there, but I think if you take that one out, then you help the average a little bit, but at the end of the day, you can’t give up a 64 yarder. That really skews the numbers there."
The Patriots had big fullback Jakob Johnson on the field, along with sixth offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, who was lined up next to right tackle, along with tight end Jonnu Smith.
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Both linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano got pushed beyond the flow of the play, and free safety Micah Hyde got caught overflowing to the left. Johnson’s lead block took out the linebacker on the play-side, Tyrel Dodson. Patriots left guard Ted Karras got out on Edmunds and shoved him to the outside. Patriots right guard Shaq Mason got out on Milanon and pushed him to the outside. That appeared to be the gap that needed to be filled, and it opened up a big cutback line.
It might have been a 12- or 15-yard gain if Hyde hadn’t overflowed to the outside as well.
“How lucky are we to have those guys?” Patriots center David Andrews said of Harris and the other New England running backs. “What a memorable game that will be for me in my career.”
"It was a toss play, so usually that starts with setting an edge," said McDermott. "You’ve got to set the edge and then you’ve got to have pursuit up and in on the backside."
Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa knifed into the backfield, past Harris.
The Patriots have six quality offensive linemen, and their use of an extra blocker as a big tight end has been a common tactic this season. Onwenu, a 350-pounder, has started 23 games over the past two years, including seven of the first eight this season. But he lost his starting job at midseason to Karras.
New England used the extra offensive lineman on 15 of 24 plays in the first half and all but five plays of the second half.
Don't miss Katherine's Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday night.
Key sack. The Bills’ second-last drive was a great scoring chance, but was foiled by a sack deep in Patriots’ territory.
It was a second-and-goal from the 6. The Bills ran a fake split zone run up the middle in which the tight end, Tommy Sweeney, shifts behind the line of scrimmage at the snap and blocks the edge defender, which was Matthew Judon.
The first problem was that Pats defensive end Deatrich Wise got a big bull rush on Bills right guard Daryl Williams, pushing him back toward Allen. The Bills QB was looking toward Jake Kumerow, running a pivot route to the right side of the end zone. The second problem was Judon was too tough for Sweeney, pushing the tight end backward. Allen tried to escape the pocket to the left, because the right was blocked by Wise, and he tripped on Sweeney’s leg. Allen fell down at the 15, got back up and easily was swarmed by Judon for a 9-yard loss. That forced the Bills to try a 33-yard field goal, which was missed wide right.
With the sack, Judon equaled the most sacks by a Patriots player in the Bill Belichick era (since 2000). Judon has 12.5, tied with former Patriots Mike Vrabel (2007) and Chandler Jones (2015).
Judon, who signed a four-year, $56 million contract in March, now has 35.5 sacks in six NFL seasons.
Here is how the AFC playoff picture looks following Monday night’s victory by the New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills.
Late self-inflicted blow. The Bills made only three penalties for 20 yards, but their final foul was a big one. They faced a third-and-9 from the Pats’ 13 with 2:11 left when Dawson Knox was called for a false start.
No defensive holding? On the ensuing third-and-14 snap, Allen made a miraculous escape from a near sack, was flushed toward the right sideline and threw incomplete at the goal line for Knox.
Replays showed Patriots safety Adrian Phillips was clutching and grabbing Knox in the end zone before the throw – and maybe after – but there was no defensive holding call, which would have given the Bills 5 yards and a first down.
Early self-inflicted blows. The Bills had a good scoring chance late in the second quarter after driving from their own 25 to the Pats’ 39 into the wind. But on a second-and-9, Buffalo was called for a delay of game. On the next play, Allen was sacked, and on third and 19 a throw deep downfield was dropped by Knox.
Giveaways, continued. The Bills’ bad giveaway streak continued in the first quarter when their first good scoring chance was foiled. On a first-down play from the Patriots’ 30, running back Matt Breida never got the exchange on a handoff from Allen and the ball fell to the ground. Patriots defensive end Lawrence Guy fell on it.
It was the Bills’ 12th giveaway in the last five games. It was New England’s 13th takeaway in the last five games.
Facemask advantage. The Patriots returned the turnover favor when punt returner N’Keal Harry tried to back off the Bills’ second punt of the game. But he leaned over and the ball caromed slightly off his facemask. Buffalo’s Siran Neal recovered at the New England 14.
Early TD. The Patriots entered the game ranked third in the NFL in the red zone. They held Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 1-of-7 performance in the red zone. The Bills finished 1 of 4 on Monday.
The only TD came on the 14-yard scoring strike from Allen to Gabriel Davis. The Bills beat the blitz on the play. New England rushed a safety, Phillips, but Allen’s throw on a slant was a strike to Davis, who beat cornerback Jalen Mills in man-to-man coverage.
