The Patriots and the Bills met for a primetime Monday night game in Buffalo with the weather playing a huge factor from the start. Wind gusts reached over 40 mph, and it heavily impacted how the game was played.
The two teams traded three and outs for the first 4 drives of the game. The Bills took over for their third drive with great field position after a punt by patriots punter Jake Bailey was deterred by the wind and only netted 15 yards. The Patriots held up well in their zone and forced a fumble on a fourth down try from the Bills, who were reluctant to kick a field goal given the conditions.
Following the change in possession, Damien Harris broke off a 62-yard run for a touchdown with help from great blocking, including wide receiver N’keal Harry who continues to positively impact games with a physical presence. The score was capped with a two-point conversion, as the kick would have been into the wind and with little chance to be accurate.
The Bills moved the ball decently to start their next drive, but a holding penalty negated a decent gain on a play and set them back, eventually forcing them to punt. A score and a stop for the Patriots at this point was big, but a muffed punt by N’keal Harry gave the Bills the ball back at the 14 yard line looking in. This was a break for the Bills at this point who were struggling to move the ball on offense, and were getting bullied on the ground defensively. Bills quarterback Josh Allen was able to connect with wide receiver Taylor Gabriel for a touchdown, followed by an extra point to make the game 8-7.
The Patriots moved the ball downfield and were able to notch a field goal. The drive was heavily run based, and featured quarterback Mac Jones only pass attempt of the half which was completed to tight end Jonnu Smith, who made an impressive grab for 12 yards. The field goal made the game 11-7 at that point, and would remain that way with multiple punts on drives remaining in the first half.
The third quarter only saw a single score, which was a field goal by the Bills to make the game 11-10. Both offenses were slow and dealing with the elements, third and longs became unattainable. Wind made aggressive passing plays more risky and less efficient, resulting in short gains and a total of 11 punts for the game.
After adding another field goal to start the fourth, the story of the quarter was the stellar red zone play of the Patriots defense. Two consecutive drives that reached the red zone for the Bills were both unsuccessful and netted zero points total. One drive ended in a missed field goal, and the other ended after a desperation fourth down play to stay alive. The Patriots took over after the two minute warning and were able to ice the game with Buffalo only having one timeout left at that point, winning 14-10.
This win was big for the Patriots, who extended their AFC East lead over the Bills and solidified their spot at the top of the conference as a whole as well. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, with Jones only attempting three passes in the game. Both teams were conservative, but the Patriots were more committed to that type of playstyle and it led to less mistakes overall which made the difference in such a close game. The Patriots 46 carries for 232 yards wore down the Bills, and there was not really a reason to move away from it as they averaged nearly five yards a carry. A road win over one of the conference’s best teams for the Patriots is encouraging going into their late bye week, and they’ll face a similar test in week 15 against the Colts.
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