Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots: Full Report Card Grades for New England
Although everyone said the right things during the week, the New England Patriots' regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills had a preseason feel to it. The Pats put forth a stultified effort, dropping their first home game of the year, 17-9.
The Bills were clearly on a different wavelength to start the game, as Kyle Orton completed three passes for 67 yards on an alarmingly breezy opening-drive touchdown. Tom Brady led a smooth 13-play response after the teams traded punts, but the drive stalled out in the red zone, as a Stephen Gostkowski chip shot trimmed the Buffalo lead to 7-3.
However, Orton and the Bills offense responded with their own 13-play drive that found the end zone, extending their lead to 14-3. After another punt, Jamie Collins awoke the Pats from their slumber with a monster sack-forced fumble effort, though the offense could not finish the drive and settled for another Gostkowski field goal.
Buffalo immediately punched back, as a 49-yard Marcus Thigpen return led to a 48-yard Dan Carpenter field goal. The Bills took a 17-6 lead into halftime, as the Pats' effort level appeared to mirror the lack of meaningful stakes in the game's outcome.
As expected, New England largely emptied out its bench in the second half with the major starters (except along the defensive line) all out of the game by the third quarter. Jimmy Garoppolo led an eight-play drive on his second attempt but stalled out in the red zone after a 4th-and-1 keeper came up short. However, the defensive effort was much stronger in the third quarter, as the Bills did not cross midfield in the period.
Following a trio of punts, Garoppolo used his legs to work the Pats offense downfield, moving the offense into Buffalo territory. However, a massive 15-yard sack and a holding call killed the drive with just over four minutes left and the Patriots still trailing 17-9.
The New England defense held to give the second-string offense one more shot with two minutes remaining, but Garoppolo and the offense failed to pick up a first down. The win was Buffalo's first-ever victory at Gillette Stadium.
Read on for full position-by-position analysis from the Patriots' regular-season finale.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Though he did lead two scoring drives, Tom Brady clearly didn't bring his A-game on Sunday. Part of that likely stemmed from the numerous missing starters around him, but it never felt as if No. 12 established himself within the flow of the game.
Playing the entire first half, Brady went 8-of-16 for 80 yards, a meager 5.0 yards per attempt. Those stats are slightly depressed by a couple drops, but apart from a few play-action sequences on the second drive, the passing game was extremely safe and vanilla. It felt as though the Patriots' primary goal was not to re-establish an offensive flow after last week's 17-point showing, but rather simply to keep everyone safe.
Jimmy Garoppolo came in during the second half and didn't fare much better through the air, going 10-of-17 for 90 yards on 5.3 yards per attempt. It's hard to fault the rookie much, though, given how he was constantly under siege. As one would expect, Garoppolo made some poor choices when the Bills sped up his clock, particularly on a 15-yard sack.
Still, the second-rounder showed positive flashes with his feet, keeping plays alive with some nifty scrambling. He ended up with 16 yards on four carries, including a nine-yarder on a 3rd-and-6 conversion. The Pats added some read-option and quarterback keepers to take advantage of Garoppolo's mobility, though Buffalo did largely sniff them out.
It's hard to conclude much of anything, as Garoppolo demonstrated a live arm and strong movement skills but scattershot accuracy and a generally frenetic feel. However, the overall grade won't be great because of how much the passing game struggled with the starters.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
With Jonas Gray out, LeGarrette Blount took the majority of the early-down snaps, though Brandon Bolden technically got the start. Blount finished with 62 yards on 10 carries, taking carries deep into the second half even after the starting line had departed.
The Pats showed some interesting second-half wrinkles with Bolden, utilizing their first Wildcat snap of the season. However, Bolden and Shane Vereen were largely invisible on the ground, combining for just 16 yards on seven carries.
Vereen was more impactful in the passing game than he has been in recent weeks, notching three catches, including one that resulted in a fourth-down conversion. His underrated pass protection was also on display throughout as the Bills brought consistent pressure to exploit the Pats offensive line.
Overall, the running game was more effective than it was in the first meeting, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. However, much of those 119 rushing yards came on Blount's 34-yarder in the third quarter. Still, given how badly the substitute offensive line struggled, it's encouraging to see the running backs deliver an above-average performance against a stifling front seven.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Without Rob Gronkowski or Julian Edelman, Brian Tyms ascended to a feature role in the offense. Tyms essentially took over Brandon LaFell's split-end position on the left side, notching career highs in virtually every receiving category. Running a much more diverse route tree than his typical plethora of go routes, Tyms recorded four catches on 39 yards.
LaFell tied Tyms with four catches and six targets, notching 70 total yards. The veteran capped his excellent campaign by serving as Garoppolo's most trusted target in the second half, as he connected with the rookie on multiple play-action concepts.
Though he departed briefly in the fourth quarter with an injury, it didn't appear serious, as he returned on the team's final drive. LaFell also had two end-around carries that went for 13 yards, as he replaced Edelman in that role.
Danny Amendola led the team with seven targets, though he caught just four of those for 24 yards. Amendola was the target on the game-ending fourth-down incompletion, as he was unable to establish inside position against Nickell Robey on a slant route.
At tight end, it was both intriguing and slightly disturbing to see Steve Maneri receive more snaps than Tim Wright. Part of that was game-plan oriented, as Maneri served as a blocking option in heavy sets, but without Gronk in the lineup, Wright had just a single catch for 15 yards on three targets.
As with most positions, it's tough to evaluate the pass-catchers given how the Patriots approached the game. Ultimately, LaFell's consistency and Tyms' surprising production only offsets some of the disappointment from Amendola and Wright.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Without Dan Connolly or Sebastian Vollmer in the lineup, the offensive line imploded. After a clean first two series, penalties by Ryan Wendell and Nate Solder coupled with increased pressure from Buffalo blitzes largely paralyzed the offense, even as the Bills were missing All-Pro tackle Marcell Dareus.
For the second consecutive week, initial starting left guard Josh Kline was benched. Like last week, Wendell shifted across the formation for Kline while Cameron Fleming came in at right guard. Kline was embarrassed on a Stefan Charles bull rush in the second quarter, as the Buffalo defensive tackle shoved Kline back into Brady and immediately blew up the play. That drive was Kline's final one with the starters.
In the second half, the Pats' reserve line gave up three sacks an innumerable pressures, bringing up memories of the unit's early-season struggles. At one point, the line gave up three sacks over four dropbacks, per ESPN.com, though the final one was nullified by a defensive penalty.
Between Kline and Jordan Devey, the Pats don't really have a reliable interior backup if a starter can't go in the postseason, which will likely result in the normal "Jumbo" package tackle, Fleming, serving as the top reserve. Fleming was back to his tackle-eligible tight end role with Marcus Cannon starting at right tackle, but it'll be tough for the Pats to run that package if the rookie needs to play inside.
This unit also did not escape unscathed, as Nate Solder left the game after the first half with a knee injury. The Pats would not have risked further aggravation by returning him to the game, but given that Solder was not on the sideline in the second half, his status is worth monitoring over the next few days.
Grade: D-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Apart from a Rob Ninkovich third-down pressure to end Buffalo's second drive, the Pats continued to have the same persistent issues with four-man pressure. Coupled with some difficulties in shedding blocks against the run game, that's likely the reason why the starters on this unit played through the third quarter, unlike the rest of the starters.
Vince Wilfork and Chandler Jones were quieter than they've been in recent weeks, combining for six tackles but no pressures. Buffalo averaged 4.0 yards per attempt in the three quarters when the D-line starters played extensive snaps, so while it was far from a poor showing, the unit had its share of issues and played at more of an average level.
Among the subs, Akeem Ayers played well in extended second-half snaps. Though Ayers has gotten phased out since Jones' return—he played just three first-half snaps on Sunday—he came up with a third-quarter sack on a nice looping stunt combo with Wilfork.
Rotating Ayers in for more snaps during the postseason might be a nice way to keep the Pats' edge-rushing trio of Jones, Ninkovich and Ayers fresh and most productive.
Alan Branch and Sealver Siliga also played a large role in shutting down the Buffalo running game, as the Bills averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. Siliga left the game in the fourth quarter but didn't receive extended attention from the trainers, suggesting a relatively minor injury.
The D-line improved significantly after halftime, perhaps the only unit that can make that claim. As such, the final evaluation is a bit kinder, given that the starters played into the third quarter.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
Jamie Collins ended his breakthrough campaign with yet another impactful play, as his strip-sack fumble sequence was one of the few times on the afternoon where the Patriots showed signs of life.
Collins burst through the A-gap and missed Kyle Orton on his initial rush but looped back around to whack the ball out of the quarterback's hands. It was a monster effort from Collins, who finished with five tackles in just a single half of action.
With Dont'a Hightower sitting out to rest his shoulder, Jonathan Casillas played his most snaps since arriving in Foxborough. Casillas took the green-dot communication helmet from Collins in the second half and ended with a team-high nine tackles, including four of the solo variety.
However, Casillas did have some issues covering tight ends, and his roughing-the-passer penalty on Buffalo's final drive forced the Pats to burn their timeouts, leaving the offense with no stoppages on their last-ditch attempt.
Reserves Darius Fleming and Chris White didn't make much of an impact, as the Pats often went with a third safety instead of a third linebacker. Fleming's most notable play was getting run over by Boobie Dixon on 3rd-and-goal, resulting in a one-yard Bills touchdown.
Still, the Casillas-led defense clamped down and shut out the Bills in the second half, while Collins' strip-sack was the Pats' play of the day. Consequently, the linebackers come out more favorably than most other units.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
Even without Brandon Browner, it was disappointing to see this unit shredded so readily by Kyle Orton. When the defensive starters played the entire first half, Orton went 11-of-15 for 143 yards and a touchdown, recording a robust 9.5 yards per attempt.
Darrelle Revis got toasted on a 43-yard crossing route by Sammy Watkins on the first scoring drive, but he otherwise shut down the rookie while shadowing him the rest of the half. Revis in particular had a nice pass deflection in which he rerouted Watkins on a go route, leaving the pass dead on arrival as the rookie drifted out of bounds.
Patrick Chung again appeared to have a coverage breakdown, as he may have vacated his zone on the Robert Woods opening-drive touchdown (though even film review might not be able to confirm that). Chung rotated series with Tavon Wilson, who has gotten more snaps in recent weeks and might be eating into the veteran's role as a sub-package hybrid linebacker.
In the second half, Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler held up reasonably well in extended snaps. The latter particularly bounced back from his rough Week 15 showing, the last time Butler was active. Kyle Arrington was active but did not play a snap, as he rested his hamstring while serving emergency duty.
Though the backups played well, it was still surprising to see Orton eviscerate the starters throughout the first 30 minutes. There shouldn't be too many long-term doubts about the secondary, but the unit did not play up to expectations on Sunday.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Stephen Gostkowski fantasy owners (at least those still playing) were pleased, as the veteran kicker hit on all three of his field-goal attempts to account for New England's entire offensive production. Gostkowski finished the year 35-of-37 on field goals, again proving himself as one of the league's most bankable kickers.
Danny Amendola remained the primary returner and was rather slippery in the punting game, averaging 9.3 yards per return with a long of 26 yards. However, the kick coverage team gets demerits for allowing a 49-yard return by Marcus Thigpen, which set up a 48-yard Dan Carpenter field goal.
Ryan Allen landed one of his four punts inside the 20, though the Pats didn't generate as much positive field position for him to pin the Bills deep. Malcolm Butler also picked up yet another holding call on the punt coverage team, something that has become a seemingly weekly occurrence.
In a game where neither offense was particularly effective, special teams had the opportunity to make a bigger difference. This unit was overall a net-positive for the Patriots but not enough so to help the floundering offense.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
The coaching staff implemented an extremely vanilla game plan on both sides of the ball, treating the contest like an exhibition. As such, it's hard to fault the results, especially against a solid Bills squad that sold out to win this game.
Still, the lack of early intensity was a poor reflection on the staff's preparation of the team. After claiming that the Week 17 contest meant something, Bill Belichick's squad did not support that sentiment with any visual evidence, clearly trying to escape with injury rather than attempting to win the game.
There's nothing wrong with that objective, and in fact, no Patriots fan will be upset with the result if Solder's injury is not significant. Late-season momentum has been proved as a definitive myth, so fans fretting about the lackluster showing should realize that the Patriots approached and treated the contest like a preseason evaluation.
There's not much to go off of, though there were some fun play calls with Garoppolo and more aggressive front seven pressure against Orton in the second half. This should really be an incomplete, but for the sake of evaluation, we'll give the coaching staff a bit of credit for its clear substitution plan while also docking it for the sleepy first half.
Grade: C+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Final Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | B |
| WR/TE | B- |
| OL | D- |
| DL | B |
| LB | A- |
| DB | B- |
| ST | B+ |
| Coaching | C+ |
| Cumulative Grade | C+ |
The Patriots played one of their ugliest games of the year, which was a given when considering that they stripped their roster of nearly every starter by the second half. The final evaluation would be much harsher if New England had come in with a clearer intention to win the game.
Instead, the Pats mostly worked their way through this, as it did not appear as though many wanted to be there. The failure to generate any late-season "momentum" will likely worry a sizable portion of the fanbase, which has not seen the Patriots play a complete effort in a win arguably since Week 12.
Still, recent Super Bowl champs have provided testimony that playoff momentum is not particularly critical. The 2009 New Orleans Saints lost their final three regular-season games, while the 2012 Baltimore Ravens made a coordinator change in the final month.
The real key is health, and the Patriots escaped with that mostly intact. New England may fall short, but it will be due to execution on that given day, not because of this aesthetically painful dress rehearsal.
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