The New England Patriots will have to wait before officially being crowned champions of the AFC East.
New England was dominant in the first half of its matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, was watched the division slowly slip through their hands as a 24-7 halftime lead devolved into a devastating 35-31 loss at Gillette Stadium.
I’ve got your takeaways:
MOVING FORWARD
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t like the phrase “hat and t-shirt game” being thrown around this week, but he’ll have to continue dealing with it after the most disappointing loss of his young tenure.
New England’s primary goal coming into the season was winning the AFC East, and though the possibility remains, that eventual celebration will be slightly bitter-sweet without taking it directly from from the incumbent champion.
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“I want to host a home playoff game,” Vrabel said during his introductory press conference in January.
It’s looking like they’ll still have the opportunity to do that, but nothing is for certain…
WHERE DID IT GO WRONG?
The Bills have been the best second-half team in the NFL, entering this game with the league’s best point differential (+95) and two impressive fourth quarter comebacks over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
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It’s not like that information wasn’t available before the game — we knew who this team was.
The Patriots struggled to prevent that offense from doing what it has done consistently throughout the season, while struggling to retain possession for significant stretches.
Buffalo has already established a winning culture. New England, despite all of its success this season, is still looking to do that — and this game should go a long way in teaching them how to play from ahead.
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IMPROVEMENT
The Patriots have been among the most explosive offenses in the NFL, ranking second in explosive plays (49) entering Week 15 — but they haven’t exactly been great when their space is limited.
New England had converted touchdowns on just 51.06% possessions that reached the red zone this season, good for 25th in the NFL — but saw that number tick up ever so slightly by scoring on its first two trips to the red zone on Sunday.
Drake Maye’s legs appeared to be the key, as he scored both of those touchdowns — one on a designed run and the other after he recognized an open lane on a passing concept.
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If they’re going to continue taking advantage of those opportunities, there will need to be improvement from those around the superstar quarterback.
PERFECT PAIRING
Wine and Cheese. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Peas and Carrots. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Stevenson and Henderson struggled to find their roles working within the same offense throughout the majority of this season, with the former carrying on as the feature option early before missing time with injury and allowing the latter to take over and thrive.
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It’s as much of a one-two punch now as it ever was, though.
Stevenson started things off by helping the club stay ahead of the chains on the first three drives of the game, including four different runs of eight yards. Henderson then provided the spark, extending the lead with his 52-yard touchdown run that made it 21-0 and reclaiming it with a 65-yard touchdown run that made it 31-28.
The Patriots might not have great depth at the position, and certainly don’t have anything to celebrate after blowing things in a divisional matchup, but their dynamic duo has figured things out.
INJURIES CATCHING UP
Robert Spillane (740; 95.36%) and Carlton Davis (748; 96.39%) played more defensive snaps than anyone not named Craig Woodson (757; 97.55%) entering Sunday, but the former was sidelined after suffering a foot injury during practice this week and the latter left after injuring his groin following halftime — which caused some issues.
Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens and Jahlani Tavai did a tremendous job making up for the lost production at linebacker, helping that defense allow just 76 total yards against that vaunted offense featuring the likes of Josh Allen and James Cook. Charles Woods’ insertion in the secondary had an obvious impact on that group’s communication, though, and featured three consecutive scoring drives.
I’ve been particularly critical of the club’s depth this season, but there has been no more obvious example than what we saw in this one.
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
