PATS STRUGGLE ACROSS BOARD
Rough night in blowout loss to Buffalo
The Patriots don't have any answers because they don’t have any options.
Offensively, this is a run-first, run-second and even run-third operation, as seen on Cam Newton’s last series Monday night when the Pats trailed by 22 early in the third quarter and called an option play. Defensively, it’s a talent-thin group where practice-squad players and street free agents outnumber the respected veterans. Overall, the roster is hollowed out and old.
But that problem can’t be solved until the offseason. So until then, the Pats will continue to suffer. They have no choice.
The Bills destroyed the Patriots in every phase during another sobering AFC East role-reversal that should not have felt as shocking as it did. Buffalo has successfully rebuilt its roster since intentionally tearing it down over the 2018 offseason. Quickly, the Bills pushed the Pats to the brink twice in 2019, including during a last-minute loss on Monday Night Football almost a year to the day of this year’s massacre.
Now, Buffalo is both a top-5 team -- and still ascending. Meanwhile in New England, questions about the Patriots’ future are growing faster than the roster holes that have sunk the franchise.
But there are no answers. At least, for one more week.
Here are the positionby-position grades from the Pats’ latest loss:
Quarterbacks: D
Jarrett Stidham played appreciably worse than Cam Newton. Let’s make that clear.
He threw twice as many inaccurate passes while making just one more attempt. He prematurely bailed from a decent pocket on a sack he took. Stidham also may have fumbled on a backwards lateral he threw while aborting a thirddown screen pass the Bills covered well and then pursued until a questionable whistle blew the play dead.
Meanwhile, Newton fired an accurate throw on seven of nine attempts (excluding the tipped pass intended for N’Keal Harry), though he ultimately averaged fewer than three yards per dropback. He also passed with poor anticipation, a season-long struggle the Pats can’t afford with such poor skillposition talent around him. His 9-yard scramble touchdown was the first time the Patriots found the end zone in three weeks; proof Newton’s dual-threat ability can overcome his teammates’ shortcomings, but not nearly often enough to save one of the worst offenses in the league.
Running backs: C+
Credit to Sony Michel for running hard and decisively for the second straight week. He hit the holes the Pats’ O-line created for him and sped through a canyon of space on one play for 29 yards, right before rookie backup J. J. Taylor did the same for 28 more. When those holes shrank, however, neither back created many yards on his own. The same held true for James White, whose elusiveness has waned in his age-28 season.
In pass protection, Michel erased back-to-back blitzers in the second quarter, which accounted for two-thirds of his passblocking snaps against
Buffalo. White didn’t allow a hurry for the first time in weeks and caught all three of his targets for 23 yards, both good for second-most on the team.
Wide receivers: D
Damiere
Byrd couldn’t drop that pass on the Pats’ opening drive and did anyway. After that, he was invisible.
Perhaps worse, N’Keal Harry couldn’t unstick from the Bills secondary, caught just one pass for three yards and paid an immediate price after the reception. Harry also may be lazily tipping his bubble screen passes, which led to Stidham’s near fumble lateral in the fourth quarter. His shortcomings, plus Byrd’s, have Jakobi Meyers accounting for an obscene percentage of the Patriots’ passing production this season.
Meyers finished with team highs in catches (4) and receiving yards (45), though he underwhelmed as a run blocker, as did Harry.
Tight ends: F
Again, there’s nothing left to say.
Devin Asiasi has played in eight games, seen four targets and caught none of them. He took a careerhigh 47 snaps Monday, but never flashed as a run blocker, allowed one sack and had a drop. Rock bottom is both an evolving and permanent state for this position.
Fellow rookie Dalton Keene saw three offensive snaps and gave up one hurry.
Offensive line: D+
Here was the good news: Right tackle Michael Onwenu and right guard Shaq Mason crushed people in the run game. They caved in half of Buffalo’s defensive line, and when their blocks hit at the same time as Joe Thuney’s, the Pats offensive line dominated.
The problems were Mason left at halftime with an injury, and the opportunities to run dried up as the Bills grew their massive lead. Additionally, rookie left tackle Justin Herron allowed two QB hits and a hurry. A hobbled David Andrews surrendered one sack and a hurry, while Jermaine Eluemunor was responsible for one pressure. The O-line also got beat on three run-stuffs and two more QB hits.
So, yes, Monday night was just as bad for the Patriots’ best position group as the rest of the team. Only Onwenu and Thuney escaped with clean sheets.
Defensive line: D
In their first meeting, Buffalo handled the Pats up front with its running game. On Monday, the offensive line built a wall around Josh Allen, who was knocked to the ground just once as a passer.
The Patriots hurried Allen on barely 11% of his
dropbacks, with defensive tackle Adam Butler responsible for half of that pressure. Though in the first half, Butler also jumped offside on fourth down and then again near the end zone, where he negated a J.C. Jackson interception. No other defensive lineman earned a single pressure. Defensive tackles Akeem Spence, Nick Thurman and Byron Cowart were all handled with ease.
Overall, Allen was hit just three times, including twice after he’d already held the ball for more than 3.5 seconds. The Pats never played on Buffalo’s side of the line of scrimmage.
Linebackers: D
Four
different Pats linebackers missed a tackle, and that may be the best of what happened Monday.
This group recorded zero run-stuffs, zero tackles for loss and zero hurries against the Bills. Anfernee Jennings’ pair of QB hits were both late Christmas gifts from Allen, who held the ball too long in the pocket. Chase Winovich earned the other, but was otherwise a non-factor. John Simon’s season continues to spiral.
If the name of the game was delivering devastating hits in run defense, Terez Hall would push for the Pro Bowl. Instead, he should fight to stay on the active roster next season, after getting picked on in coverage around a couple of good stops and badly overshooting a couple of gaps.
Defensive backs: C
Devin
McCourty’s tackle for loss that stoned the Bills’ opening drive short of the goal line was the defensive play of the game. That was how poorly Monday went for the entire
unit.
But as a secondary, the Pats played a notch above what transpired in the front seven. Cornerback Jonathan Jones tailed Buffalo slot star Cole Beasley and mostly tackled well. Safeties Terrence Brooks broke up a deep pass after missing a tackle. Rookie Myles Bryant coordinated the back end in McCourty’s injury absence, while Adrian Phillips proved sturdy in the box and covered well.
The trouble was J.C. Jackson couldn’t quite handle Stefon Diggs, who beat him for two touchdowns and later edged Jason McCourty for a third. Of course, Diggs leads the NFL in catches for a reason, but the failure to contain him put the Patriots in a major hole. Had they pressured Allen more consistently, perhaps one of those touchdown drives stall out.
Special teams: B
Nick
Folk’s missed extra point was only a matter of time amid a season that’s almost been too good to be true. Folk had missed all of one kick since September before Monday night. He’s enjoyed an outstanding year.
The same could be said for punter Jake Bailey, who had four of his seven punts settle inside the Bills’ 20yard line. He averaged 51.7 yards per boot. His coverage team allowed stud returner Andre Roberts barely six yards per return. As for the fake punt pass the Pats allowed, that was a coaching decision gone bad.
Pats kick returner Donte Moncrief ripped off a nice 27-yarder to start the game, but was otherwise kept quiet, as was punt returner Gunner Olszewski.
Coaching: D+
On the fake punt pass,
the Patriots tried to break down Buffalo’s protection with the same look that led to a blocked punt touchdown for them last year in Orchard Park. But this time, the Bills were prepared.
Offensively, Josh McDaniels is now calling games with both hands tied behind his back.
The Pats returned to their no-huddle with some success, and nailed the doublepass call until Byrd dropped it. After that, the passing game reverted to being rudimentary.
Defensively, the Bills capitalized on the Pats’ basic first-down coverages, likely a function of players’ inexperience, with so many backups scattered across the field.
Belichick’s decision to challenge a sideline catch in the third quarter was as mystifying as it was foolish. And yet, the Patriots opting to punt later on fourthand-2 with a 22-point deficit and more than 25 minutes left was worse.
Head of the class
P Jake Bailey: He’s a Pro Bowler for a reason.
OL Michael Onwenu: This is one badass rookie. Onwenu should start next season as one of the Pats’ 10 best players.
Back of the pack
CB J.C. Jackson: He allowed two touchdowns to Diggs after chirping him earlier in the game. Bad move.
QB Jarrett Stidham: Stidham fired too short, too long and barely looked like a competent backup.
TE Devin Asiasi: Here’s hoping the rookie can salvage a truly miserable season with his first career catch in Sunday’s finale.
Front seven: It was all shades of bad. This performance stunk.