Patriots’ Decreased Pass Rush Among Takeaways From Loss To Bills

Maybe it was his lengthy visit with trainers, but Bill Belichick sounded surprisingly upbeat after falling to the Buffalo Bills at home for the first time since 2000.

It’s tough to draw too many conclusions from the New England Patriots’ 17-9 loss to the Bills, since they sat seven starters and rested more for the second half, and perhaps Belichick knows that.

The Patriots’ defense was solid but unspectacular against a middling Bills offense. They held the Bills to just 3.2 yards per carry and 268 total yards, and they pitched a shutout in the second half. The Patriots’ starters allowed two red-zone touchdowns in the first half, however, and they gave up chunks of yards to Bills tight ends.

Check out how the Patriots’ pass defense fared in this week’s takeaways:

BACKUPS LIMIT KYLE ORTON IN SECOND HALF

Bills quarterback Kyle Orton completed 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and he went just 5 of 8 for 30 yards in the second half against the Patriots’ reserves.

Backup cornerback Logan Ryan had a solid day at the office with Brandon Browner out and Kyle Arrington situated on the sideline, nursing a hamstring injury. Safety Patrick Chung also had a solid bounce-back game after having some rough moments last week against the New York Jets.

Darrelle Revis allowed just one catch on two targets. He came close to breaking up Orton’s 43-yard completion to receiver Sammy Watkins in the first quarter.

Check out this week’s pass-coverage charting stats:
Darrelle Revis: 1-2, 43 yards
Malcolm Butler: 4-5, 40 yards
Rob Ninkovich: 2-2, 28 yards
Jonathan Casillas: 2-4, 22 yards
Logan Ryan: 2-3, 13 yards
Patrick Chung: 2-3, 11 yards
Darius Fleming: 1-1, 10 yards
Chandler Jones: 1-1, 7 yards
Tavon Wilson: 0-1

Revis allowed the most yards among Patriots defenders this season, but he also played twice the amount of snaps as other cornerbacks like Browner, Ryan and Arrington.

Check out the Patriots’ pass-coverage charting stats for the season:
Revis: 37-78, 532 yards, two TDs, two INTs, 11 pass breakups
Ryan: 31-55, 456 yards, two TDs, two INTs, five pass breakups
Brandon Browner: 29-55, 423 yards, two TDs, one INT, five pass breakups
Chung: 24-44, 290 yards, four TDs, one INT, four pass breakups
Butler: 17-29, 278 yards, three TDs, one pass breakup
Kyle Arrington: 23-44, 277 yards, one TD, two pass breakups
Alfonzo Dennard: 16-23, 221 yards, two TDs, one interception
Jamie Collins: 23-44, 210 yards, two interceptions, one TD, two INTs, one pass breakup
Dont’a Hightower: 25-37, 181 yards, two pass breakups
Ninkovich: 13-17, 151 yards, one INT, one pass breakup
Devin McCourty: 11-20, 139 yards, two TDs, two INTs, three pass breakups
Jerod Mayo: 12-16, 127 yards, one TD
Wilson: 6-12, 85 yards, two pass breakups
Deontae Skinner: 5-5, 72 yards
Casillas: 7-11, 44 yards, one TD
Jones: 3-4, 30 yards, two pass breakups
Dominique Easley: 2-3, 25 yards, one INT
Akeem Ayers: 2-4, 11 yards, one INT
Fleming: 1-1, 10 yards
Nate Ebner: 2-4, 9 yards
Duron Harmon: 0-2, one INT
Chris White: 0-1
Vince Wilfork: one INT, one pass breakup
Alan Branch: one pass breakup

PATRIOTS LACK PRESSURE WITHOUT DONT’A HIGHTOWER

The Patriots were missing linebacker Dont’a Hightower, their second-leading pass rusher, Sunday, and it showed. Defensive end Rob Ninkovich had trouble generating consistent pressure, and the Patriots weren’t able to use as much deception up front without Hightower.

Defensive end Chandler Jones failed to generate a single pressure while getting clammed up by left tackle Cordy Glenn. Midseason acquisition Akeem Ayers made the most of his snaps and led the way with a sack, QB hit and hurry on Orton.

Linebacker Jamie Collins made the play of the day, when he strip-sacked Orton and recovered the QB’s fumble.

The Patriots’ defensive line does need to keep a keen eye on the Bills’ running backs, since they’re big receiving threats, which could have contributed to the lessened pass rush.

Check out this week’s pass-rush charting stats:
Akeem Ayers: one sack, one QB hit, one hurry
Rob Ninkovich: three hurries
Jamie Collins: one sack, one QB hit
Tavon Wilson: one QB hit
Vince Wilfork: one hurry
Patrick Chung: one hurry
Darius Fleming: one hurry

No Patriots defender recorded double-digit sacks this season, as Ninkovich recorded eight sacks for his third consecutive season.

Check out the Patriots’ season-long pass-rush charting stats:
Ninkovich: eight sacks, 15 QB hits, 36 hurries, 58 pressures
Dont’a Hightower: 6 sacks, 10 QB hits, 28 hurries, 47 pressures
Chandler Jones: 6 sacks, 12 QB hits, 21 hurries, 40 pressures
Ayers: four sacks, six QB hits, 22 hurries, 31 pressures
Collins: four sacks, 10 QB hits, 10 hurries, 24 pressures
Wilfork: .5 sack, three QB hits, 16 hurries, 20 pressures
Chris Jones: 3 sacks, three QB hits, seven hurries, 12 pressures
Dominique Easley: .5 sack, one QB hit, six hurries, eight pressures
Jerod Mayo: one sack, one QB hit, four hurries, six pressures
Alan Branch: three QB hits, two hurries, five pressures
Chung: two QB hits, four hurries, six pressures
Sealver Siliga: 2.5 sacks, three QB hit, six pressures
Joe Vellano: one sack, two hurries, three pressures
Casey Walker: one sack, two hurries, three pressures
Zach Moore: .5 sack, two hurries, three pressures
Wilson: two QB hits, two hurries, four pressures
Kyle Arrington: one sack, one QB hit, two pressures
Deontae Skinner: one sack, one hurry, two pressures
Logan Ryan: one QB hit, one hurry, two pressures
Devin McCourty: two QB hits, two pressures
Jonathan Casillas: one QB hit, two hurries, three pressures
Alfonzo Dennard: one hurry, one pressure
Fleming: one hurry, one pressure

Thumbnail photo via Charles Krupa/Associated Press