Great Spikes GIFs on this link!!
One of the biggest things that bothered me about this game were the coverage busts in the red area. There were two uncontested TDs by the Buffalo Bills – to Scott Chandler and Donald Jones. Both touchdowns were a result of a lack of communication. The Buffalo Bills formed offensive sets that put their receivers in close proximity that caused traffic problems and forced communication. The proper adjustments are not being communicated. Uncontested TDs are a sign of an undisciplined defense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfHfahHoK1E
New England Patriots Game Winning Interception Against Bills (by EspmSport)
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
As you might imagine given the points Buffalo put on the board, this was not a banner day for the New England defense — but nobody came out of it looking quite as bad as Rob Ninkovich (-7.0) who graded negatively in every facet of the game we track. He was beaten in the run game consistently by the Bills’ offensive line, notched just three total pressures (albeit one sack) from his 43 pass rushes, gave up three receptions in just six snaps in coverage, missed two tackles and was penalized for jumping the snap. The only solace for the veteran defender is that he was not alone in showing poorly. The Patriots missed a massive 15 tackles, with nine of those coming in the secondary and the rest coming at the second level from linebackers. Buffalo has running backs that can make you miss, but the Patriots need to tackle better than that to contain them.
The 62 snaps for slot CB Marquice Cole were easily a season-high, as one could view him as being rewarded for a strong performance against the Rams on Oct. 28. Entering the game, Cole had played a total of 41 defensive snaps for the entire season.
It appeared that when the Patriots went with a single-high safety in their defense, more often than not it was Devin McCourty, not Steve Gregory. The strategy should not come as much of a surprise, as Gregory, when previously active, struggled at times to keep the play in front of him, and McCourty has done well to do exactly that since becoming a safety. The Patriots’ secondary again was the culprit of allowing 300-plus yards passing, but if there was a silver lining – perhaps there was not in the eyes of some – the team did not allow any big plays over the top. McCourty helps to build the umbrella on the defense.
Forget the Bills, the New England Patriots’ season starts now – Patriots – Boston.com
Forget the Bills, the New England Patriots’ season starts now – Patriots – Boston.com
Nice wrap up from Bedard. I don’t know if I can delete this one immediately, sometimes you just have to watch a train wreck a couple times to get a full sense of the destruction. And yeah, it looked horrible but that was the bad Patriots defense when it’s off. At least when they’re on they tackle.
The Patriots, coming off a bye week that included extra study and practice time, took the field and couldn’t stop the run (162 yards), hit quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick four times officially (three sacks), allowed him to complete 68 percent of his passes (second only to Fitzpatrick’s game against the Titans), the Bills to set a franchise record with 35 first downs, and to put up a season-high 481 total yards.