The Patriots hung with the heavily favored Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but a year-ending upset proved elusive for New England.
Bailey Zappe and company could not overcome four first-half turnovers in a 27-21 loss on New Year's Eve at Highmark Stadium.
The defeat dropped the Patriots to 4-12, their highest loss total of any season under head coach Bill Belichick. They'll close out the season -- and, perhaps, the Belichick era -- next Sunday against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.
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Here are eight instant-reaction thoughts on Sunday's result:
1. Draft implications
The Patriots' Christmas Eve win in Denver might not cost them a top-two draft pick after all. With the Arizona Cardinals upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, New England jumped back up to No. 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft order with one week remaining.
2. Jalen Reagor opens with a bang
Reagor did his best Nyheim Hines impression Sunday, returning Tyler Bass' opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
It was the Patriots' first kick-return touchdown since 2018 and Reagor's first score of any kind since October 2022.
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3. Early turnovers galore
The Patriots' ball security was downright putrid in the opening 20 minutes of this game. Four of their first six drives ended in turnovers: three Zappe interceptions, including a 40-yard pick-six, and a lost fumble by tight end Pharaoh Brown.
New England gained just 18 yards of total offense in the first quarter, with 15 of those coming on the final play of the frame.
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That the game didn't quickly devolve into a laugher was a testament to the Patriots' stout defense. The unit held Buffalo to field goals on drives that began on New England's 21- and 30-yard lines after giveaways. Josh Allen had 46 first-half passing yards and a second-quarter interception and faced consistent pressure from the likes of Deatrich Wise, Christian Barmore and Keion White.
4. Offense awakens
Zappe's early pick-fest raised questions about whether Belichick would give him the hook and reinsert Mac Jones. But the second-year quarterback buckled down.
Zappe followed up his third INT -- the pick-six, which resulted from a miscommunication with Reagor -- with a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that cut Buffalo's lead to six. The sophomore provided that score himself, scrambling into the end zone from 17 yards out.
The Patriots also moved the ball well on their next drive, picking up 60 yards in nine plays. That set up a 47-yard field-goal try that Chad Ryland missed. Buffalo, despite a 4-1 edge in turnover margin, entered halftime with a slim 20-14 lead.
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The Bills marched 75 yards in eight plays on the opening drive of the second half -- 51 of them on a long completion to tight end Dalton Kincaid, who beat an under-the-weather Kyle Dugger deep -- to make it 27-14. But New England hung around.
Completions of 39 yards to Reagor and 17 yards to DeMario Douglas set up a 6-yard touchdown plunge by Ezekiel Elliott with 11:01 remaining. New England's defense forced a punt, giving Zappe a chance to mount a go-ahead drive.
But the Patriots' offense, backed up near its own goal line, stalled. It went three-and-out, and Buffalo successfully ran out the clock.
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Zappe finished 16-for-26 for 209 yards and no touchdowns with three INTs.
5. Ryland's roller coaster continues
The rookie kicker couldn't carry over momentum from his game-winning 56-yard field goal in Denver. He missed once from 47 yards Sunday and later from 53, with the latter ultimately wiped out by a delay of game penalty.
The Patriots traded up to draft Ryland in the fourth round, and he's been the NFL's worst statistical kicker this season. He's converted just 15 of 24 field-goal attempts (62.5%), with seven of his nine misses coming from inside 50 yards.
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Expect the Patriots to bring in competition at that spot this offseason.
6. Alex Austin gets revenge on his old team
Austin enjoyed the best game of his young career against the team that drafted him.
The seventh-round rookie, who was cut by the Bills out of training camp, intercepted an Allen deep ball and delivered a pad-rattling hit to snuff out a red-zone screen pass.
Austin has seen increased playing time of late in New England's injury-depleted cornerback group, and he's shown potential.
7. Trent Brown scratched
Despite being removed from the injury report on Friday, Brown was inactive against Buffalo. The second half of this season has been a nightmare for the big left tackle, who's made just one start since Halloween and hasn't seen a full gameday workload since Week 8.
Brown will not earn any of the $6.5 million in playing-time incentives in his contract and doesn't look likely to re-sign once he hits free agency this offseason.
Vederian Lowe made his second consecutive start at left tackle.
The Patriots also were without tight end Hunter Henry and safety Jabrill Peppers, who both sat out due to injury. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster were unavailable, as well, after being placed on injured reserve this week. Wideout DeVante Parker suffered a ribs injury during the second quarter and did not return.
8. Young back flashes
Elliott scored his third touchdown of the season, and his understudy delivered a couple of New England's best offensive highlights.
Second-year pro Kevin Harris ripped off a 15-yard run on the final play of the first quarter and set up Zappe's rushing touchdown with a 48-yard catch-and-run off a well-blocked screen.
It was just Harris' second NFL reception, with his first coming two plays earlier.
Harris' 69 yards from scrimmage were a career high for the 2022 sixth-rounder.
Featured image via Gregory Fisher/USA TODAY Sports Images
