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Mark Daniels: Patriots took their foot off the gas and Buffalo drove right over them
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- Mark Daniels: Patriots took their foot off the gas and Buffalo drove right over them
FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots were riding high at halftime.
In the first half, they rolled over the Buffalo Bills in dominating fashion. The kings of the AFC East were on the ropes, and Mike Vrabel’s team went into the locker room up, 24-7. That’s when the coach’s message to his players was simple.
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“The message was to finish the game,” said edge rusher Harold Landry . “We knew what kind of game this was giving to be. I don’t think we could’ve been more prepared for it.”
Instead of finishing the Bills and clinching the AFC East for the first time since 2019, the Patriots gave it away in devastating fashion.
Coming off back-to-back 4-win seasons, the Patriots have been one of the best stories of the NFL this season. In Vrabel’s first season, this team rode a 10-game win streak and a chance to secure a playoff spot and division title in front of their fans on Sunday.
Instead of extinguishing the ghosts of the past, this young Patriots team was served a reminder inside Gillette Stadium:
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They’re going to have to be better if they’re going to make some noise in the playoffs this season.
Vrabel’s team gave up an early three-touchdown lead to lose 35-31 to the reigning division champions . Their second-half effort, or lack thereof, must serve as a wake-up call if the Patriots want to be more than a feel-good story.
That’s why veteran receiver Stefon Diggs believes Sunday’s loss can be good for his teammates.
“You never know, we probably needed it,” Diggs said. “Going on a little streak, it’s not a lot of pressure, but you expect to win as you should. It’s good for us. I kind of said it in the beginning of the year – lessons. If you don’t learn nothing from it, it’s a loss. It’s a lesson for sure that you’re going to have to keep the foot on the gas.”
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Instead of putting the pedal to the metal, the Patriots put their car in neutral for most of the second half.
For a team that’s constantly found a way to win this season, it was frustrating to see the Patriots falter on all three phases coming out of the bye week.
On offense, Maye ’s group looked unstoppable to start this game, scoring 21 points in their first four drives. Chants of ‘MVP!” filled the Gillette Stadium air as this game had all the makings of a blowout.
Instead, a 17-point halftime lead disappeared quicker than the Jerod Mayo era.
On offense, the Patriots looked like a different unit in the second half. They had two wildly inefficient drives in the third quarter.
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The first series saw a negative rush on first down, followed by a sack on third down. Their second drive in the third quarter saw a Vederian Lowe false start on third-and-10, followed by a holding penalty on third-and-15, followed by a Maye interception on third-and-25.
The fourth quarter was highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown run by TreVeyon Henderson . After that, the unit went three-and-out when Maye was sacked on second down, and Hunter Henry dropped a would-be third-down conversion. Then, the offense went four-and-out, turning the ball over on downs.
After the game, players said they took their “foot off the gas.”
“It sucks to lose. We all hate to lose,” Henry said. “We’ve been riding high on 10-straight games. It’s a wakeup call. We’ve all got to be better. We’ve all got to look at ourselves in the mirror and what we can do to get better and get better fast.”
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Added Stevenson: “I felt like we played a good game, but maybe took a few naps there in the second half.”
On defense, it was even worse.
Vrabel’s unit allowed five straight touchdown drives. The team was outscored 28-7 in the second half. This happened after the Bills didn’t gain a first down in the first quarter. Buffalo had five first downs and 76 total yards in the first half. They had 17 first downs and 273 total yards in the second half.
The defense couldn’t get off the field for most of the second half. It didn’t help that the Patriots’ special teams unit allowed multiple big returns by Ray Davis .
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Buffalo’s first touchdown happened after Davis gained 38 yards, and Brenden Schooler was flagged for a 15-yard facemask penalty. Their second touchdown came after Davis ran back a 58-yard return.
In the fourth quarter, the Bills converted on three third downs and a fourth down before another Allen touchdown, which came on a different third down.
“Sometimes the loss can teach you a lot, especially when you’ve been winning so much,” cornerback Carlton Davis said. “And maybe we needed this loss to help us correct a couple of things and show that we’re not invincible.”
The worst moment on Sunday came later in the fourth quarter. After the Bills took their first lead of the game, Henderson ran back to score and give the Patriots a 31-28 edge just 14 seconds later.
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It was the type of moment that made people realize how different this season’s been for Vrabel’s Patriots. However, reality came crashing back down as Allen and the Bills needed seven plays to travel 65 yards and score another touchdown.
The Patriots didn’t play with a consistent effort for 60 minutes, and it cost them against a good team that knows how to win.
“It’s a daily dose of humble pie, especially when you play those good teams,” Diggs said. “Hopefully you learn from it, and it helps you move forward.”
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