After an unprecedented week of uncertainty and emotion, Buffalo returned the Patriots’ opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown Sunday afternoon to give Damar Hamlin’s team a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into play and it looked like it might be a long day for New England. But the visitors fought tough throughout, before falling 35-23 to the Bills, thanks in large part to a second Hines kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
The loss drops the Patriots to 8-9 on the season and allowed the Dolphins to make the postseason as the No. 7 seed in the AFC thanks to Miami’s 11-6 win over the Jets.
On their second drive of the day, Mac Jones and the Patriots offense drove to a key Jakobi Meyers touchdown. Another Jones TD pass to DeVante Parker and a key Josh Allen interception late in the second quarter sent the teams to the locker room tied 14-14.
New England then held 17-14 lead after the teams swapped turnovers in the third quarter before Hines returned a second kickoff for a touchdown, this time for 101 yards. Buffalo then added a 42-yard touchdown pass from Allen to John Brown to create some breathing room. Though the Patriots would pull to within five, Allen essentially closed the door on any comeback hopes with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs midway through the fourth quarter.
Before turning the page to the offseason and the many changes that could come both in terms of personnel and coaching, here are the highs and lows from the season-ending loss in Buffalo.
Thumbs up
Mac Jones – Jones completed 13 of his 16 attempts in the first half, including a pair of touchdowns to hang in with the Bills, arguably one of the best halves of his two-year career. His one big mistake in the game was a fade to Nelson Agholor that resulted in a Tre’Davious White interception near the goal line in the third quarter. Otherwise, Jones made good decisions and accurate throws most of the afternoon, finishing completing 26 of 40 passes for 243 yards with three touchdowns and a second late near-desperation interception for the 75.3 passer rating. Though he threw three interceptions, the second was on a near-desperation throw into the end zone and the third deflected off Damien Harris’ hands when Jones got hit as he threw on the final possession.
Jakobi Meyers/DeVante Parker – New England’s leading receiver came up big on the Patriots first scoring drive of the day on their second possession. Not only did he pick up 20 yards for the first third down conversion of the afternoon, but he capped the critical drive with a pretty, toe-tapping 2-yard touchdown that held up under video review. Parker also had an impressive day, finding the end zone twice including a nice jumping 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to keep the game alive. Parker led the Patriots passing attack with six receptions on seven targets for 79 yards with the two scores.
Devin McCourty – The veteran safety had a timely pass defense with his back to the quarterback in the end zone in the first half. He then took advantage of Matt Judon hitting Josh Allen in the knees as he threw to haul in an interception to stop a would-be Bills scoring chance late in the second quarter. The veteran, who could be in his final season, then recovered a Devin Singletary fumble forced by Jonathan Jones in the third quarter at the Bills 11 to help New England overcome an ugly Mac Jones interception just a couple plays earlier.
Rhamondre Stevenson – New England’s second-year backed topped the 1,000-yard mark for the year with an 18-yard run in the second quarter. He was once again a factor both on the ground and through the air. Stevenson led the Patriots with a game-high 54 yards rushing on just six attempts and added five catches on six targets for 28 yards in the passing game.
Thumbs down
Kick coverage/Cam Achord – Achord’s special teams units have been inconsistent all year with way too many ugly plays on its collective resume. The Bills added to that on the opening kickoff when Nyheim Hines returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. Things got even worse in crazy fashion, when Hines notched another kickoff return for a 101-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give Buffalo its first lead since early in the second quarter. Things were so bad that Nick Folk kicked the ball on the ground to keep it from Hines in the fourth quarter, the ball rolling out of bounds to give Buffalo at the 40 by penalty. From penalties and a blocked punt to poor coverage, New England’s kicking game hasn’t been up to standards this season after struggling with consistency a year ago under Achord’s watch as well. The unit cost the Patriots the game – and a shot at the playoffs – on Sunday in Buffalo.
Myles Bryant – The versatile defensive back was a key factor in a pair of touchdowns by the Bills. Bryant had Hines in his grasp in the third quarter on the kickoff return, only to see him bounce off for the eventual touchdown. Later in the third quarter Bryant was left chasing as John Brown got behind him on an Allen scramble that turned into a 42-yard touchdown pass to extend the Buffalo lead.
Shaun Wade – Another week with the Patriots still undermanned in the secondary and another healthy scratch for the veteran cornerback Wade. Given his failure to find a role for himself in New England, Wade’s days in Foxborough are numbered if not essentially already up.
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