Bills vs. Patriots: Score and Twitter Reaction for 'Monday Night Football'

Inadvertent whistles. An alarming lack of healthy wide receivers. A stingy Buffalo Bills defense that consistently put pressure on the quarterback. 

Nothing can stop the New England Patriots this season.

Tom Brady and Co. moved to 10-0 on the season with a 20-13 victory over the division-rival Buffalo Bills during a Monday night filled with mistakes from the officials, drastic momentum swings and just enough offense from the winning side.

Bleacher Report responded to the continued perfection:

As the NFL on ESPN demonstrated, the 10-win milestone is nothing new for this squad:

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe said the 13 straight seasons of 10 or more wins make up the second-longest streak in NFL history behind only the San Francisco 49ers, who did it 16 consecutive times. 

Brady threw for 277 yards with one touchdown and one interception despite the absence of Julian Edelman for the entire game and Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson for part of it. The quarterback also moved to 25-3 in his career against Buffalo, per Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. It wasn't a clinic from the Patriots offense, but Louis Riddick of ESPN realized it will take a lot to beat this team in 2015:

The Bills defense deserves credit for limiting the Patriots to 20 points, but quarterback Tyrod Taylor finished without a touchdown as the Buffalo offense failed to gain any traction.

It was a defensive battle from the outset, and the Patriots took a 10-3 lead into the locker room after the first half. New England got on the scoreboard first with a 35-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski and made some history in the process, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The other notable moment in the opening 15 minutes came when Brady gave an amusing signal at the line of scrimmage, as the NFL shared:

At least the Bills were pleased head coach Rex Ryan made it into New England's playbook:

The Patriots dialed up a different call right before halftime, when Brady found James White for a 20-yard touchdown. The NFL passed along the highlight:

New England appeared to keep the momentum rolling at the start of the third quarter, when Brady hit Amendola downfield for what could have been a touchdown. However, there was an inadvertent whistle during the play, and everyone stopped, including Amendola in the open field. The play was ruled dead, and Gostkowski missed a field goal later in the drive.

Instead of 17-3, or even 13-3, Buffalo still faced a 10-3 deficit and got the ball back with a chance to tie the game. Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report commented on the strange play:

The Bills did tie the game when LeSean McCoy scored from 27 yards out on a sweep and Dan Carpenter made the ensuing extra point. The momentum swing was clear, and Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com named the unfortunate sequence for the Patriots:

The worry in New England was short-lived, though, as Brady went to work and led the offense on a 64-yard touchdown drive to take a 17-10 lead. Amendola's 41-yard catch put the Patriots inside the 10-yard line, and Brady then rushed the offense to the line of scrimmage before Buffalo was ready.

The result was a touchdown run from White, and ESPN Monday Night highlighted how unprepared the Bills were on the play:

"

Juuuuuust a bit offsides. pic.twitter.com/a4RYBvbj25

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) November 24, 2015"

Former Patriots pass-catcher Donte Stallworth said it was a vintage New England sequence:

Things took another turn for the worse for Buffalo when Leodis McKelvin fumbled a punt late in the third quarter and set the Patriots up at the 30-yard line with an opportunity to extend the lead. New England did just that off another field goal and took its 20-10 advantage into the final quarter.

Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News had a relevant question following the costly turnover:

The Patriots' second-half run was impressive, considering Amendola and Dobson were both sidelined after suffering injuries. Phil Perry of CSNNE.com pointed to the lack of depth at the wide receiver position: 

With few healthy weapons, Brady threw a rare interception with 13:22 remaining, but Buffalo failed to cash in on the possession. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com described one problem:

The Bills defense kept the team in the game with another stop, and the offense finally answered the bell with a critical drive. Taylor favored his shoulder after a hit, but he found Chris Hogan with a 42-yard deep ball to move inside the red zone. Volin commented on the toss:

Buffalo failed to find the end zone, but it climbed to within one score with 3:30 remaining after a Carpenter field goal. The drive took more than four minutes, though, and the Bills had only one timeout left, which prompted this response from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

Time mismanagement or not, the Bills got the ball back with less than two minutes remaining thanks to an inspired performance from their defense, although McKelvin nearly lost it when he muffed another punt and had to recover it.

It appeared as if Buffalo failed to even cross its own 40-yard line when Taylor's fourth-down pass was ruled incomplete, but the officials determined Sammy Watkins was in bounds after a review. Despite the break, Rich Eisen of NFL Network was not impressed with the pace:

Right on cue, the Bills moved backward on a sack and watched the clock tick down to less than five seconds when Taylor found Watkins. Watkins rolled out of bounds with two seconds left, but the officials kept the clock running, which ended the game. Volin and former referee Jim Daopoulos reacted to the strange finish:

Former vice president of officiating and current rules analyst for Fox Sports Mike Pereira also weighed in:

As Pereira suggested, even though Buffalo could have run one more play near midfield had the clock stopped, it likely wouldn't have mattered, as New England's defense dictated the tone throughout the game. It was enough to win another contest, even when the offense was far from its best.

What's Next?

With only six games remaining, the possibility of the Patriots finishing the regular season with an undefeated record has become real.

Next up is a road showdown with the Denver Broncos, and Brock Osweiler will start instead of the injured Peyton Manning. If New England manages to get past Osweiler, it won't face another team that is currently over .500 in its final five contests.

While the Patriots would likely say they are more focused on finishing with the No. 1 seed in the playoffs than without a loss, don't be surprised if both happen.

As for the Bills, they are part of a 5-5 logjam for the second wild-card spot in the AFC behind the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets are also 5-5, which means Buffalo must find a way to pick up some head-to-head victories in the closing stretch.

The Bills will play the Jets, Texans and Chiefs in their final six games. If they find a way to win even two of those, they could get another shot at the Patriots in the playoffs.

Postgame Reaction

Although the Patriots still won the game, many were left questioning why they lost a potential touchdown because of the inadvertent whistle. Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino answered those questions, per NFL Network, “Again, both teams were affected by the whistle blowing. Both teams stopped so we can’t assume what would have happened.”

Of more long-term importance for New England are the various injuries, especially since Edelman and Dion Lewis are both already out. Brady discussed as much, per NFL Network, “We lost a lot of guys and we've lost quite a few guys over the last three weeks. I think we'll just keep fighting.”

Wide receiver Brandon LaFell at least provided some reason for optimism for Patriots fans while discussing Amendola, per Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com: “When I saw him, it looked like he was in good spirits. I hope it's nothing major. Going to need him.”

The Patriots will need him, although Brady’s presence alone has carried this team all year. Bill Belichick commented on his quarterback facing so many injuries and intense defensive pressure Sunday, per Petraglia: “I don't think anyone would ever question his toughness. He's about as tough as they come.”

On the other side, Ryan offered a humorous response when asked about Brady’s play call at the line of scrimmage that used his name, per the Bills: “He likes me, I know that.”

Ryan also reflected on the loss, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI 93.7 in New England: “At the end of the day [Patriots] find ways to win. That's what championship teams do. We're not there yet.”

Don’t worry, Rex. Nobody’s there yet compared to the Patriots.