Lance Lysowski: Bills crashed the Patriots' party with a win, but the defense is a big problem
Josh Allen led the Bills on five straight touchdown drives to rally from a 21-point deficit and spoil the Patriots' celebration with a 35-31 victory for Buffalo.
Joey Bosa needed a moment at his locker stall to find the words to best describe the thrilling and painstaking events that unfolded Sunday as snow fell at Gillette Stadium.
In 10 years to begin his NFL career, Bosa never witnessed anything like his 14 games as an edge rusher for the Buffalo Bills. For the third time this season, they scored at least 28 points in the second half. And during each of those games, the Bills’ defense endured a horrible start that forced the team to rally from a multi-touchdown deficit.
“I don’t know,” Bosa pondered, eyes wide while contemplating how the Bills managed to rally from 21 points down to beat the New England Patriots, 35-31. "This team, we don’t quit. We know it’s never over. As long as we have Josh Allen back there, anything is possible.”
Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson scores against the Bills during the first half of Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Too often this season, the Bills have put that widely accepted theory to the test and, if they’re going to play in February, the defense needs to fix the weaknesses that opponents have exploited for much of this season.
Allen has come through with a remarkable performance to bail out Buffalo in some of those games, but it’s not a sustainable path to winning the Super Bowl. He was at the height of his powers Sunday when the Patriots would have ripped the AFC East title away from Buffalo with a win.
The reigning MVP led Buffalo on five consecutive scoring drives, completing 19 of 28 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. He completed at least one pass to eight different receivers. The Bills (10-4) reached double-digit wins for the seventh season in a row, one of six NFL teams to accomplish the feat. Prior to Sunday, the Patriots (11-3) had won 120 straight home games when they led by 17 or more points.
“There’s no panic,” said Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau. “We didn’t make a big deal out of it when it was 21-0. We knew to just keep playing. Things can change real quick.”
The Bills trailed 21-0 midway through the second quarter, and they took their first lead, 28-24, when Allen scrambled to his right and threw a perfect pass to tight end Dawson Knox in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown with 10:03 left in the fourth quarter.
Another stop could have ensured victory. The Patriots couldn’t solve the Bills’ offense. In addition to Allen’s brilliance, James Cook rushed for 107 yards and scored three times. Buffalo’s defense didn’t come through.
“We need to be better, for sure,” acknowledged Bills coach Sean McDermott.
On the first play of the next drive, TreVeyon Henderson, New England’s rookie running back, reversed field on a toss play and ran, untouched, for a 65-yard go-ahead touchdown. The Bills didn’t touch Henderson on his other long run, a 52-yard score in the second quarter that put the Patriots up 21-0, and the 177 rushing yards allowed by Buffalo during the first half led to a 24-7 deficit at the break.
The Bills have allowed 23 rushing touchdowns, the highest single-season mark since McDermott became coach in 2017, and their inability to consistently stop the run has made it more challenging to contain talented quarterbacks like the Patriots’ Drake Maye.
McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich couldn’t unleash their pass-rush plan during the first half because the Bills kept getting gashed by Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. If a receiver couldn’t get open, Maye escaped the pocket. He ran for touchdowns of 7 and 8 yards. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi finally got close to a sack late in the second quarter, but he missed the tackle and Maye scrambled for 17 yards.
The Bills’ defense looks and performs differently during the second half of games. The Patriots had the ball less than eight minutes during the third and fourth quarters Sunday. Maye completed just 5 of 12 passes for 47 yards, and he threw an interception to Tre’Davious White.
It’s been a season-long trend, beginning in Week 1 with Ed Oliver forcing a fumble to help Allen complete a come-from-behind win over the Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo has allowed 5.8 yards per carry in the first half, compared to 4.8 yards in the second half. Eight of the Bills’ 11 turnovers were forced after halftime.
“We’ve been here before,” said linebacker Shaq Thompson. “These last three games, we’ve been here. We’re not going to stop. That’s why you play halves of football. We’re going to stay 10 toes down until that clock hits zero. We’re going to fight. I know, for the defense, it takes us getting a couple of stops and a turnover. We know it’s going to happen.”
For as impressive as the Patriots looked throughout their 10-game win streak, they had faced little adversity before Sunday. Mike Vrabel, their first-year coach, instilled toughness into a team that missed the playoffs the past three seasons, but most of his players do not have the Bills’ experience in high-stakes games.
There was a resolve from the Bills that cannot be taught. It’s developed over time, through thrilling wins and crushing victories. The Patriots had six penalties totaling 50 yards accepted during the second half, and they went 1 for 5 on third down. Maye, admittedly, did not have the same moxie as Allen when New England needed the second-year quarterback to remain composed under pressure. He took three sacks, including one on second-and-5 when the Bills blitzed linebacker Matt Milano.
"We knew they were going to continue to pressure," said Vrabel. "They pressured and played zone. It wasn't enough for us to be able to — I thought there were times where they pressured and we couldn't come clean or we weren't able to complete some passes, especially on third down when they pressured."
The final stat line is still ugly. New England had 385 total yards, including 246 rushing, and averaged 7.5 yards per play. You can't get beat that badly for two quarters and expect to win. Injuries aren't the only issue at hand, either, though cornerback Christian Benford's absence was noticeable early in this game. To his credit, McDermott has reconfigured his approach each week to account for the personnel that's injured or doesn't exist on the roster. But the tackling is still too inconsistent. Gaps aren't being filled often enough. Second- and third-level defenders take terrible angles.
It needs to get fixed as soon as possible because the path is clear for the Bills.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens may soon follow suit. Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers do not have a capable offensive line. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is 42 years old. The Indianapolis Colts are forced to start Philip Rivers, who came out of retirement this week at 44 years old and five years removed from playing in the NFL. The Bills have the best quarterback, offensive line and, arguably, running back among the AFC contenders.
Five times this season, however, Buffalo’s defense has allowed at least 30 points. Remarkably, the Bills are 4-1 in those games. Getting to the Super Bowl isn't the goal. This team's mission is to finally win it all. And to accomplish that feat, the defense must transform into a group that can get the job done for four quarters.
