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.
First quarter
Lineup: Wide receivers Marquez Stevenson and Isaiah McKenzie, fullback Reggie Gilliam, defensive end Efe Obada, offensive lineman Jamil Douglas and DT Vernon Butler were inactive for the Bills. Additionally, linebacker A.J. Klein was placed on the Reserve/Covid-19 list ahead of the game.
Three and outs: Both teams started the game by going three and out. The Patriots, up first, had a botched handoff from quarterback Mac Jones to running back Damien Harris on third-and-4. They recovered, but Ed Oliver finished the job, chasing Harris out of bounds. The Bills didn’t fare much better on their first outing, gaining just three net yards.
Pats score first: The Patriots were determined to run the ball in the first quarter. Running back Harris made it look easy on one play: He was untouched as he ran for a 64-yard touchdown. The Patriots went for two, as they would have been kicking into the wind, and were successful, taking an 8-0 lead.
Bills answer: Special teams helped get the Bills on the board. Back to return a punt, Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry tripped and tried to avoid touching the ball, but it just barely grazed his helmet. The Bills' Siran Neal pounced on it, and Buffalo took over on the New England 14-yard line. The Bills scored the next play, a 14-yard throw to Gabriel Davis doing the trick.
Jason Wolf: Josh Allen gets no help as Bills lose to Patriots, fall from thick of AFC playoff race
Second quarter
Tacking on three: The Patriots added to their lead in the second quarter with a 41-yard field goal from Nick Folk. Ahead of that, they went 52 yards in nine plays. Three of those plays were runs of 10 or more yards.
Stalled out: The Bills’ longest drive of the first half did not result in any points. Toward the end of the drive, a delay of game penalty backed up the Bills. So did a five-yard sack on Allen. On third-and-19, Allen had a sharp pass to tight end Dawson Knox, who was unable to reel it in. In all, the Bills’ drive lasted nine plays, only to gain just 26 yards.
Heading into half: Toward the end of the second quarter, the Bills went three-and-out again. On third-and-3, Allen’s pass to wide receiver Cole Beasley was batted at the line. The Patriots got the ball back after the two-minute warning, but would end up punting to end the half.
Staying grounded: The Patriots finished the first half with Jones throwing just one pass, a 12-yard completion to Jonnu Smith, which Smith had to jump to snag. Other than that, the Patriots ran the ball 23 times. According to Elias Sports, that was the fewest first-half pass attempts since 1978, which is how far back that data goes.
Plays that shaped the game: Patriots rely on heavy personnel to make big run plays
Third quarter
Slow start: The Bills got the ball to start the second half, but were unable to do much. They picked up 16 yards in four plays, the bulk of that an 11-yard catch by Cole Beasley to start the drive. Devin Singletary picked up a few more yards, only for the Bills to punt two plays later.
Start then stop: The start of the next drive was promising, with a 19-yard catch by Emmanuel Sanders. Then, Allen threw deep to Stefon Diggs in the end zone early in the drive, and it bounced off Diggs’ hands. Later, on third-and-7, Allen ran for six yards. He was pushed out by cornerback Myles Bryant, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness, extending the Bills’ drive.
Bass is good: After the unnecessary roughness call kept them on the field, the Bills couldn’t reach the end zone. They settled for a field goal; Tyler Bass was good from 35 yards to make it 11-10. With the kick, Bass improved to 16-of-16 on kicks of 40 yards or less.
Timeout taken: The Patriots continued to march down the field, running the ball over and over. On fourth-and-1, Jones went for a quarterback sneak, which was ruled a first down. Coach Sean McDermott challenged the first down, but the ruling on the field stood, and the Bills used their first timeout.
Fourth quarter
A defensive stand: Bills linebacker Matt Milano started the fourth quarter with back-to-back tackles for loss, totaling a loss of a eight. The Patriots couldn’t convert the ensuing third down, and settled for a field goal. Folk was good from 34 yards to give New England a four-point lead.
Yikes: The Bills had first-and-goal from the 6, but it did not go well from there. A no-gain, a nine-yard sack and an incomplete pass brought fourth down, and the Bills elected to kick into the wind. Bass was no good from 33 yards out.
Mac passes: Jones did something unusual for the night: He threw twice on one drive. The Patriots went three-and-out on a drive that featured two attempts from the rookie quarterback, with one completion. Cornerback Dane Jackson had a pass break up.
The end: The Bills moved the ball more efficiently with their last chance, but it was for naught. They had first-and-10 at the Patriots' 14, but were unable to score. It came down to a pass on fourth-and-14, which was broken up by Bryant. The Patriots got the ball back with 1:55 left.
