Some assorted notes and nuggets from the New England Patriots’ 38-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night at Gillette Stadium:
— As the losses continue to mount for New England, so too do the injuries.
The Patriots entered Monday night without top cornerback Stephon Gilmore (torn quad), starting linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (shoulder), starting defensive tackle Lawrence Guy (shoulder), leading rusher Damien Harris (ankle) and rotational edge rusher Shilique Calhoun (knee). Gilmore was placed on injured reserve this week, and Bentley, Guy, Harris and Calhoun all were inactive.
The team then proceeded to lose at least seven more players to injuries:
LB Josh Uche (foot)
OLB Tashawn Bower (neck)
LB Terez Hall (ankle)
G Shaq Mason (foot)
S Devin McCourty (shoulder)
C David Andrews (calf)
LB Anfernee Jennings (undisclosed)
Uche, Bower, Hall, Mason and McCourty — who leads all Patriots defenders in snaps played and hasn’t missed a game since 2015 — did not play at all in the second half.
Andrews departed in the fourth quarter. Jennings went down during the Bills’ final possession.
Mike Onwenu shifted from right tackle to right guard in Mason’s absence. James Ferentz replaced Andrews.
Defensive tackle Adam Butler also watched the end of the game with a wrap around his left thigh and walked to the locker room with a noticeable limp.
“It’s definitely tough,” veteran cornerback Jason McCourty said after the game. “That’s the nature of our sport — guys go down, you need the next guy to step up. Obviously, we have a younger roster this year, guys gain experience late in the season. We’re out there, and you’re kind of just fighting for the guy next to you. Things happen, guys go down. It’s a physical sport. We just need guys to step up, come in and play hard.”
The injuries hit the Patriots’ defense especially hard. By game’s end, they were down to two available edge rushers (Chase Winovich and John Simon) and one inside linebacker: sixth-round rookie Cassh Maluia, who played the first defensive snaps of his NFL career Monday night.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen tore this patchwork unit apart, throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns, including three to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Buffalo scored on each of its first four possessions and covered more than 65 yards on all five of its touchdown drives.
“It was just a failure by us on defense tonight,” Jason McCourty said. “Just not good all around. Disappointing.”
The 6-9 Patriots will close out their 2020 schedule this Sunday against the New York Jets.
— The Patriots’ two most lopsided home losses of the Bill Belichick era have come this season:
33-6 to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 (-27)
38-9 to the Bills on Monday night (-29)
The Patriots have lost by 20-plus points at home just five times under Belichick. Two of those came in 2008 with Matt Cassel behind center. The other came in 2005.
Monday’s 29-point margin of defeat was the second-largest in any Patriots game since Belichick arrived in 2000, regardless of venue. No. 1 on that list: the 31-0 loss in Buffalo that kicked off the 2003 season.
The Bills also became the first AFC East team since 2000 to beat the Patriots twice in a single regular season. They won 24-21 in their home stadium in Week 8.
— Julian Edelman’s 2020 season likely is over.
The veteran wide receiver did not practice last week, was not activated off injured reserve ahead of Monday’s game and, according to a pregame report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, is “unlikely” to play in Sunday’s season finale against the New York Jets.
Edelman, who was designated to return from IR earlier this month, has one year remaining on his Patriots contract. But given his age (turns 35 in May) and injury history (just six games this season following multiple offseason surgeries), there’s no guarantee he’ll be back in 2021.
— The Patriots made a roster move in the hours before kickoff, signing veteran center Marcus Martin to their 53-man roster.
Martin, 27, started 14 games for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 but hasn’t played an offensive snap since 2016. He filled the roster spot created by Stephon Gilmore’s move to IR and did not play Monday, sitting out as a healthy scratch.
— Monday was “Health Care Hero Appreciation Night” at Gillette Stadium.
Cardboard cutouts of more than 900 healthcare workers lined the seats in the south end zone, and many Patriots players sported T-shirts featuring the photos and names of those workers during pregame warmups.
It was the first time fan cutouts had appeared at a Patriots home game. Fans have not been allowed inside Gillette Stadium since the season began.
