FOXBORO, Mass. — Streaks are meant to be broken.
The Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots for the first time ever at Gillette Stadium and for the first time in Foxboro since 2000. Even backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s fourth-quarter heroics weren’t enough to catch the Bills.
Despite the Patriots’ sloppy 17-9 loss, there were some bright moments. Check out who shined for the Patriots:
JAMIE COLLINS
The young Patriots linebacker made the play of the day, strip-sacking Bills quarterback Kyle Orton and recovering the fumble.
Collins finished the game with five tackles after being rested in the second half.
DANNY AMENDOLA
Amendola has impressed as a returner, and he continued his strong play with a 26-yard punt return in the second half. He also caught four passes for 24 yards while filling in for Julian Edelman.
JIMMY GAROPPOLO
The stats don’t tell the whole story of Garoppolo’s second-half performance. He ran for 16 yards on four carries and completed 10 of 17 passes for 90 yards, but he was under siege all game behind a leaky backup offensive line while facing perhaps the toughest defensive line in the NFL. It was a fine performance for the rookie signal-caller.
Garoppolo’s best play came on third-and-6 early in the fourth quarter, when he picked up a first down on a 9-yard scramble, evading pressure with a spin move.
AKEEM AYERS
We’re kind of running out of players to give stars to, so Ayers picks up the last one for recording his fourth sack as a member of the Patriots. He has seen his playing time diminish since Chandler Jones came back from a hip injury, but it would be wise for the Patriots to find ways to use Ayers as a situational pass rusher during the playoffs.
Thumbnail photo via Elise Amendola/Associated Press
