There are many plays from Sunday’s game that highlight the Patriots’ lack of discipline in losing to the Buffalo Bills.
Let’s focus on two in particular: a pair of penalties from offensive linemen Trent Brown and David Andrews.
With 1:29 remaining in the first half and New England trailing 17-7, Mac Jones scrambled 7 yards to set up second-and-3 at the Patriots 47-yard line. After Jones went out of bounds, Bills edge rusher Jerry Hughes dragged the rookie down from behind, drawing a flag for unnecessary roughness.
In a surprising, controversial move, referee Shawn Smith picked up the flag, much to the dismay of Patriots players and fans. (His postgame explanation didn’t help matters.)
It was an unfortunate development for New England, but the Patriots’ offense still had the ball near midfield with 1:22 on the clock — more than enough time to put crucial points on the board before halftime. However, with boos filling Gillette Stadium and both teams jawing at each other, Brown lost his cool, barking at Bills defenders until he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Patriots then backed up 15 yards and eventually punted.
Andrews, a team captain, knew the significance of the penalty as soon as it happened. In a clip shared by MassLive’s Chris Mason on Monday, you can see the Patriots center immediately scold Brown after the flag was thrown.
(You can click here to watch it.)
Now, let’s skip ahead to the fourth quarter.
With 8:31 left in the game and Buffalo holding a 26-14 lead, Jones scrambled 9 yards to give the Patriots a first down at the Bills 14-yard line. After Jones slid to the ground, linebacker Matt Milano dove into the rookie and was flagged for unnecessary roughness. The Patriots would have had the ball just in front of the goal line.
But after the conclusion of the play, Andrews got into Milano’s face and drew a flag for taunting, resulting in offsetting penalties. So, New England stayed at Buffalo’s 14-yard line.
It didn’t cost the Patriots, as Damien Harris scored his third touchdown of the day two plays later — but that’s not the point. Andrews, one of the true leaders on the Patriots, did something as undisciplined as what he reprimanded his teammate for. And you could argue that Andrews’ penalty, which he owned up to after the game, occurred during an even more pivotal situation. Andrews, as evidenced by his exchange with Brown, clearly knew what not to do in that moment, and he did it anyway.
The Patriots pride themselves in being more mentally tough than that. Such failures played a key role in what was the most disappointing game of the season for a team that only weeks ago was generating Super Bowl buzz.
With its playoff picture still unsettled, New England can’t waste any time in cleaning up its uncharacteristic mistakes.
