Patriots vs. Bills: Full Report Card Grades for New England
Congratulations, New England.
With Sunday's win over the Buffalo Bills where the team forced the #BillsMafia to abandon their team as early as the third quarter, the Patriots have taken a three-game lead in the AFC East. As a reminder, the NFL season is only at the halfway point. Through eight weeks, the Patriots have the strongest stranglehold on the AFC East, and they won't let go. It's time to start looking at home-field advantage in the postseason.
While the game was sloppy and the defense did struggle at times, the Patriots dropped 41 points on the road against a decent defense. They made Stephon Gilmore look silly. They made Rex Ryan feel totally helpless for the umpteenth time.
It was a great day in rainy-and-cold Buffalo.
The Patriots can return home to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to prepare for the bye week, knowing they got their revenge against the Bills for the one tick in the loss column.
Read on for the full grades in the New England Patriots' 41-25 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Do we even have to do this again?
I'll let Tom Brady's stats and performance do the talking.
Passing stats
22-of-33
315 yards
Four touchdowns
137.0 passer rating (which remarkably raised his season-long rating)
Brady is on pace for 36 touchdowns this season, and in case anyone forget, he missed the first four games.
The best QB in football did it again, and it's a no-brainer to give him the highest honors once again.
Grade: A+
Running Back
2 of 10
First off, the Patriots didn't try to run the football too much. They used the run game at the end to just drain the clock. But, that doesn't mean we can't try to grade these running backs.
LeGarrette Blount didn't have much to work with, but he did fall forward, and even though 18 carries for 43 yards is horribly mediocre, it's not his fault. It was a product of a sloppy game and a lack of emphasis on running in the matchup's game plan.
On the flip side, James White only had two catches for 14 yards. But, one came on an early third down where White got to the outside with a massive juke that would have made Dion Lewis proud. White is so shifty, and he is a very aware and smart player.
The grade feels like it could be not applicable, but let's give them a fair grade despite the usage woes.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
Have a day, Chris Hogan!
Hogan came out in front of his former team's crowd and probably made every fan wonder why he wasn't making plays like that as a member of the Bills. Part of the reason is a guy named Tom Brady, but the other part is Hogan's talents are being put to use.
Hogan ran a brilliant deep route for the touchdown grab that went 53 yards. He's separating from cornerbacks, using his frame and physicality and seeing through his catches. Hogan is becoming a force and a great added dimension to the Patriots offense.
Danny Amendola hauled in a nine-yard touchdown grab. Meanwhile Julian Edelman looked shifty and is taking advantage of matchups against linebackers and safeties that are created because of the two-tight end packages. Edelman should have scored a beautiful 47-yard touchdown that was taken away by a Marcus Cannon penalty. But, Edelman still found the end zone with the maximum effort of the day by stretching in for the score.
Grade: A
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Tight End
4 of 10
To use the words of Rob Gronkowski to sum up this game: "69."
Gronkowski scored his 69th career touchdown, which moved him past the great Stanley Morgan as the franchise's leader in touchdowns. Gronk put on a show beyond his 69th touchdown and gave a bow for a celebration, while his family members chanted "69! 69! 69!" Gronk finished with five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, which gives him a touchdown in each of the last three games.
Rex Ryan knows Gronk is unstoppable, and he put on a better show for his hometown than the hometown team did. Gronk's blocking was on point, and he is a menace for all teams.
Martellus Bennett had another quieter game, but he's battling through an ankle injury, and the bye week will get him back into good form.
Grade: A+
Offensive Line
5 of 10
I'm typically a very harsh grader of the offensive line. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing missed blocks and Brady hitting the turf when the offensive line should be protecting their quarterback.
So to start with the bad, Nate Solder gave up three sacks on the day. Though the third one wasn't his fault as it was a hard two-count play where the ball should be out of Brady's hand in two seconds. Solder initiated in a chip block, but the coverage was too good and Solder "gave up" the sack. The other two sacks were Solder's fault, and they came on third downs. So the time and the place weren't ideal for Solder's snafus.
Alert! Alert! Marcus Cannon committed a penalty that took away a touchdown! Yes, it happens all the time. It didn't matter since Hogan scored on the next play, but still the penalties are terrible.
Kyle Williams destroyed Joe Thuney on a run play to Blount, too.
But, even through all that bad, the Patriots' offensive line limited the Bills' defensive front and put together a strong performance.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
6 of 10
Let's give a round of applause to former Bill—and the biggest player on the field—Alan Branch. Branch was generating pressure up the middle with bull rushes and his power. Taylor was forced into some tough spots early in the game because of Branch playing so tough against his former team.
Early on, the defensive line was also doing a pretty solid job of containing and setting the edges of the pocket, so Taylor couldn't escape easily and make plays in open space.
Trey Flowers recorded two sacks on the day. If Flowers can provide a boost to the anemic pass rush, that could go a long way for the Patriots.
Grade: B
Linebacker
7 of 10
The Patriots linebackers have seen better days, but it wasn't all bad for Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins and company.
The one play that summed up the day was a double gap blitz where Hightower and Collins rushed up the middle. The Bills contained the blitz and Tyrod Taylor scampers for an easy 26-yard touchdown run as he had all the daylight in the world in front of him. Collins was held on the play by the side of his helmet and underneath his neck, so the referees missed the call. But, the play also showed the Patriots were a little behind for the game.
Elandon Roberts is turning into a beast before our eyes as he lands some strong hits and finds the football. Hightower destroyed Mike Gillislee at the start of the game with a textbook tackle.
The team's pass rush is better when Hightower is making his way toward the quarterback as he assisted Trey Flowers on a sack.
Gillislee ran the football fairly effectively, and that is a result of the linebackers not thumping in the gaps enough.
Shea McClellin was torched on a wheel route by Reggie Bush in the mismatch of the century.
Grade: B-
Secondary
8 of 10
Sorry, Eric Rowe. It was a long, rough day for you.
Rowe, who got the nod to start opposite Malcolm Butler, struggled mightily for the entirety of the game. Rowe was called for defensive pass interference, holding, illegal use of hands. You name it, he was flagged for it. He seemingly took a step backward, and after some decent performances, Rowe looked outmatched against some weak Bills wide receivers.
The referees were flag-happy all game long, but the Patriots made mistakes in the secondary. Chung was called for a hold (Rowe was penalized on the same play).
Credit goes out to Butler for doing his fair share in the secondary as the one constant among the revolving cornerbacks.
And the silence critics award for the week goes to Devin McCourty. People are quick to say McCourty is overrated. Well, I don't hate to break it to you, but he is a stud at free safety.
McCourty covers so much ground in no time at all. He landed a huge hit on Brandon Tate to break up a pass, shut down Mike Gillislee on a run play on the play prior. He also had a brilliant PBU on Charles Clay on a deep ball where he truly flashed his range.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
9 of 10
Is it time to welcome back Stephen Gostkowski's ability?
Not quite, but it's close.
Considering the weather conditions stunk with the wet field and wind, the fact Gostkowski sank two field goals including one from 51 yards out to end the half is a move in the right direction. It inched through the uprights, but it looks like a more natural Gostkowski through the technique and motion of the football. Gostkowski also made all five of his extra points.
Danny Amendola had the special teams play of the day for New England with his 73-yard return to open the second half. His return sucked the remaining life and energy right out of the Buffalo faithful. The blocking and vision on the return was a perfect combination.
The special teams duds came on a Matthew Slater fumble to start the game that luckily Geneo Grissom was able to recover. Also, the Patriots gave up a 4th-and-16 conversion to the Bills punter who botched the snap and ran for a first. It was so bizarre, it's almost hard to fault the Patriots, but they didn't contain the play at all.
Slater and Nate Ebner made some big tackles in punt and kick coverage.
Grade: A-
Coaching
10 of 10
Sloppy was the story of the game, and unfortunately that is a reflection of the coaching staff.
It feels weird to say the game was sloppy when the offense put up 41 points against a Buffalo Bills defense that is actually pretty good. But, there were mental mistakes and fine details that started to add up throughout the course of the game.
Offensively, Josh McDaniels was a little too cute in the early parts of the game. McDaniels called for a dangerous sweep pitch play to Edelman that could have ended in disaster. Edelman turned it into a no-gain, but a play like that is just asking for a fumble or botched exchange. McDaniels also called a screen pass to James White that took about six seconds to develop, and Danny Amendola was called for holding because of it. Then, McDaniels drew up an outside screen pass to Gronk that had no blockers, and he was swarmed immediately for a loss in the red zone. The penalties were also a reflection of the play-calling.
Defensively, Matt Patricia's squad got caught with 12 men on the field on two separate occasions. Then, they were left a man short as they had 10 men on the field in the second half on a play. Those mental mistakes are 100 percent on the coordinator.
But, at the end of the day, despite all the mistakes, they hung 41 points on the Bills. This game was never really close.
Grade: B-
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