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Patriots Ups & Downs Wildcard Weekend

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Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

What a crushing way to end the season, just crushing. The Patriots fell 47-17 in Buffalo last night, being completely overpowered by the divisional champions. For the final time this season, here are your Ups & Downs.

Ups ⬆️

Mac Jones

I came away from the game feeling better about Mac Jones. Sure, he didn’t play great, but for me he was an up overall on the night. He was one of the few players who was fighting until the very end, which is frankly embarrassing that your rookie quarterback is setting the tone.

On the field he did make some really good plays, and found the endzone a couple of times when the game was finished, again, it felt like only him and Kendrick Bourne were still trying. I think the team needs to get him a real WR1 threat, Agholor just isn’t that.

Not dismissing his mistakes, but, I think he will take a lot away from this game and will fuel a fire under him into the off-season.

Kendrick Bourne

I think we’ve come to find that Kenrick Bourne can be a real complimentary piece to the offense moving forward. Bourne caught two touchdown passes, albeit once the game was effectively over, but, it’s carried on a trend from the season of his good productivity. Bourne is an up.

Downs ⬇️

The Secondary

The defense was terrible all game, and I’m really concerned about how the team will rebuild a secondary unit that gave up five touchdown passes in a complete mis-match with the Bills.

I can honestly say that I never felt like the unit was going to find a turnover or force a punt with coverage.

The off-season will be intriguing to see where Bill goes with this unit and the defense overall, but last night they were just bad.

Matthew Judon

Judon has been a shell of himself since the bye, I can’t recall him forcing any pressure on the opposing QB which as harsh as it may sound, is not good enough.

He came out of the blocks with blistering pace, potentially on course to break the Patriots season sack record, but something changed with him during the week off, and it’s played a part, like last night in not making it hard enough for the enemy signal caller.

A Final Note

I’m just going to leave the downs there, I could go on about all of the mistakes, bad play calls, but we know what happened out there.

There is going to be lots of movement in the next few months that will re-shape this roster, especially on defense. But just from a personal note, I wanted to say thanks to everyone for tuning in to mine and Clare’s content this season. We’ll be back with plenty during the off-season to keep you up-to-date on all things Patriots.

PatsProp Preview – Buffalo Wildcard

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Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

Playoff football is back on the schedule for the Patriots as they travel to Buffalo for the second time this season, hoping to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive. Here’s your preview for Saturday night’s Wildcard game!

One’s To Watch

Mac Jones

Mac hasn’t had the best run of games down the final stretch coming into his first pro playoff game, but, it’s now his time to shine. The rookie has shown glimpses of brilliance and flashes of annoyance during his first year, he now heads into Buffalo for the second time, but it will be a different game, with more at stake.

It’s win or go home, and we’ve yet to see Mac win a game for the Patriots himself, and he may well need to tomorrow by throwing the ball, more than the three times he did when during his first time in Buffalo last December. Anyways, let’s think positively, after all, things worked out well the last time a Pats QB wore a scuba suit in the playoffs away from home.

Damien Harris

Harris played a huge roll when the Pats won earlier in the season at Buffalo and I think it’ll be a similar story tomorrow if the Pats manage to pull it out of the bag. Harris has had a great year, and whilst he’s been well supported by Rhamondre Stevenson, Harris will be lead back tomorrow and is key.

Matthew Judon

Judon has been super quiet of late, and he needs to be visible tomorrow if the Patriots have a chance of winning. I know it’s a lot to pin the result on one player, but, I really think him being able to pressure Allen into making mistakes is huge. He’s been cold of late, a big game is needed by him.

J.C. Jackson

In what could be one of his final games in a Patriots uniform, J.C. will be tasked with covering Stefon Diggs again, something which he will no doubt be relishing. We saw in their second meeting at Gillette Stadium that Diggs wasn’t the receiver the Pats should have been worried about, but nonetheless, he’s always a danger threat and his matchup with Jackson tomorrow is one to watch for sure.

Offensive Line

Isaiah Wynn was confirmed out of the game as he failed to recover from an ankle issue that has kept him out of training all week. Either Trent Brown or Justin Herron are replacements to fill the left tackle position, but either way it’s not ideal heading into a game where the Patriots need to have solid blocking in both their run and pass attacks.

Kenrick Bourne

Bourne has shown the ability this year to be the chunk playmaker for the Pats at times. He’s come up big in key moments and I have a feeling he will have a good game tomorrow. Jet sweeps and maybe a trick play could be on the cards.

Bills Mafia

Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Who for the Bills could cause problems for the Patriots?

Josh Allen

We know what Josh Allen can do, his rise as one of the best QBs in the league has been a fun watch, he’s now an accurate passer with the ability to kill you with his running. Pressure on him will be key, if the Pats defense can limit his running and cause him to force and error or two, it could be a massive turning point.

Stefon Diggs

Diggs is one of the best receivers in the league and will garner much of the defensive back attention tomorrow, as he should. J.C. Jackson will be matched up with him, but even when game planned against, Diggs has the ability to still deliver soul-crushing catches.

Cole Beasley

The Bills get one of their most trusted pass-catchers back in Cole Beasley, who missed the last game as he was on the COVID list. Beasley should be targeted a bunch by Allen, he’ll be another problem for the coaches to scheme against.

Prediction Corner

@ShawMellors – Patriots 20 – Bills 17

As much of a homer I am, I have to be realistic at the Pats chances. I think it’ll be a competitive game, but, the Bills will edge it as the superior team on the night. Pats 21 Bills 24

@clazzyclare – Patriots 17 – Bills 14

Let’s see the return of the Mac! The Patriots can win this game, they need to win this game, and somehow, they will win this game. Pats 17 Bills 14

Patriots vs Bills – Player Ups & Downs

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Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills stormed into Foxboro and kicked the Patriots’ ass last night in a true show of dominance as the new Kings of the AFC West. With one eye on the offseason roster changes, we must still reflect on Week 16’s Ups and Downs.

Ups ⬆️

Jakobi Meyers

Whilst the passing game was almost non-existent last night, Meyers was the only receiver to show any spark, and to be fair, he’s been the best receiver on the team this season. Not a record-breaking performance, but the effort was there with some slight production at least.

Jake Bailey

Any concerns that the celebrity status that comes along with being a Pro Bowler would impact Bailey’s performances were dashed last night as once again, he showed why he’s one of the top Punters in the NFL.

Sometimes he goes under the radar given how bad the Pats have been at times this season, but, in close games, Bailey’s ability to switch field position a pin opponents in their own red zone is a priceless commodity.

Sony Michel

I’ve enjoyed seeing Michel have some better games more recently in the absence of Damien Harris, although his carries have been reduced for one reason or another, he’s been more efficient and had some great runs last night. One bright spot heading into the offseason is that the running back position is in a stable position for next year.

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Patriots Preview: Week 8 vs Buffalo

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We’re at the halfway point of this weird and eventful NFL season, and this game is the biggest one yet. On Sunday the 2-4 New England Patriots travel to Bills Stadium to take on the 5-2 Buffalo Bills.

Date: Sunday, November 1, 2020
Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
Venue: Bills Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Network: CBS (Ian Eagle & Dan Fouts)
All-time record: Patriots lead series, 76-43-1 (including playoffs)

When They Last Met…

Broncos 17-24 Patriots
December 21, 2019

Steven Senne/Associated Press

The first drive of the game saw the Patriots move nicely into Bills territory before Rex Burkhead fumbled after receiving a screen pass from Tom Brady.

Buffalo then counter-attacked before stalling midway into the Patriots side of the field, Josh Allen overthrew Dawson Knox in the end zone and they had to settle for a field goal to take the games first lead. Brady then led the team downfield with completions to Rex Burkhead, N’Keal Harry, Ben Watson, and then finding Matt LaCosse for an eight-yard touchdown score.

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Pats Posits: Bye, Bye, Bye!

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The Patriots ran their way to a victory over the Bills that delivered New England’s 10th-straight divisional title and put them back in the driver’s seat for a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Sony Michel racked up 116 yards on 18 carries, while the rest of the backfield, including Cordarrelle Patterson gave the team 273 yards rushing, their most since 2008.

If you wanted a perfectly executed PatsPropaganda Gameplan, you need to look no further. My final score prediction (24-13) was one point off while the running the ball and stopping the run were the key features to this week for the team. I loved the approach and the execution, but there are still plenty of elements giving me pause before firing up the Super Bowl hype train.

With a Chiefs loss the Pats now have an outside shot at the top seed, but what matters most, after Houston’s loss to the Eagles is that the Pats control their own fate for the second seed. All they have to do is beat the Jets. And given how Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski look, never before has a Pats team needed that extra week off more.

Let’s jump in and unpack everything from the second-to-last regular season game of the season.

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Patriots Gameplan: Week 16 vs. Buffalo Bills

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After one of the worst two-week stretches of the Patriots dynasty, playoff losing ones not included, the Patriots return home to cap off the final two games of their season, first against the 5-9 Bills.

Strangely, this is very much a must-win game for the Pats. They need to win out and hope that Houston loses once to open up the second seed in the AFC. With the disparity between how they’ve played at home and how they’ve played away, never has a bye and homefield advantage felt more important.

The 2018 Patriots might not be the same 12-plus-win juggernauts we’ve seen for the past handful of spoiled seasons, but they’re still a very good team capable of making a Super Bowl no matter what seed they end up at. Still, the most favorable road is the one that stays in Foxboro as long as possible and there’s nothing wrong with hoping for that.

The Pats won’t win many people back over with a victory over the Bills. If the sky is falling at 9-5, beating a team Tom Brady has owned more than any other feels more like an obligation. But again, this game matters in the standings and it matters for the team to get back on track and gain some playoff momentum.

Here’s the gameplan.

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