Bills vs Patriots: The Good and The Bad

The Bills beat the New England Patriots 27-21 today in a win that keeps the Bills staring at the number 1 spot in the AFC East. The Bills advanced to a 10-6 record while their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, lost to the Ravens 56-19. The Bills take on the Dolphins next week, in a game that will decide who has the number 1 spot in the AFC East. 

The Good 

Run Game 

The Bills run game seemed to be the only thing working for the Bills offense. Once offensive coordinator Joe Brady saw the rough start Josh Allen and the Bills receivers were having through the air, he decided to keep it on the ground. Brady called many quarterback runs for Allen that worked along with getting James Cook as well as Ty Johnson involved. 

Allen did the heavy lifting in terms of offensive touchdowns with two rushing touchdowns. Allen finished with 11 carries for 44 yards. 

Running back James Cook finished the day with 16 carries for 48 yards and Ty Johnson finished with 5 carries for 22 yards. 

Dalton Kincaid 

Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid led the Bills in terms of receiving yards with 87 off of 4 receptions. Kincaid’s longest catch was a 51 yard bomb that flipped field position for the Bills and led to a Josh Allen rushing touchdown. 

Defense 

The Bills defense played a stellar game all day long. Buffalo’s defense was there to pick up their lacking offense. Linebacker Terrel Bernard led the team in tackles with 10 total tackles. Bernard had 8 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and 3 QB hits. 

Ed Oliver was another big name that came up big for the Bills finishing the game with 2 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended, 2 QB hits, and 1 crazy interception. 

When it comes to the secondary, safety Micah Hyde and cornerback Rasul Douglas held it down. Hyde had 3 total tackles and 1 pass defended. Douglas finished with one of his best performances of the season with 2 total tackles, 3 passes defended, and 2 interceptions, one of which was brought back for a touchdown. 

Forced Turnovers 

The Bills defense came to work today, forcing a total of 4 turnovers. Buffalo forced three interceptions and 1 fumble. 

The Bad 

Passing Game 

The Bills passing game could not find any rhythm against the Patriots secondary today. Josh Allen finished 15/30 for 169 passing yards and an interception. 

Allen got little to no help from his receivers, as they seemed to drop almost every ball that came their way. Regardless the Bills passing game was not in rhythm which was a big reason the game was closer then what it should’ve been. 

Kick Off Unit 

The Bills kick off unit gave up a 99-yard kick return touchdown to start the game. Returner Jalen Reagor seemed to get through almost seamlessly besides a few would-be tacklers but to no avail.