In The Super Wild Card Round, The Pats Got Blown Out By The Bills 47-17 So Their Season Is Over

 

    Seeing the Patriots (10-8 overall, 6-3 away) lose tonight at Highmark Stadium to the Bills (12-6 overall, 7-3 home) certainly was not a surprise to any realistic Pats fan. However, the way that Buffalo completely ran over them to the tune of 47-17 was pretty scary considering that Bills quarterback Josh Allen (21-of-25 for 308 yards, 5 TDs; 66 yards rushing) is only 25-years-old meaning that he and his team are probably going to dominate New England and the AFC East for years to come. For the Patriots, losing in the Super Wild Card Round was fitting since frankly they played like anything but a playoff-worthy club in the past month. This loss meant that they finished the 2021-22 campaign by losing four of their last five games. 

    In his first NFL postseason start, New England's rookie QB Mac Jones (24-of-38 for 232 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) was OK. The real issue is the no-show from almost everyone around him: namely any skill position players on offense not named Kendrick Bourne (7 catches, 77 yards, 2 TDS) and the very overrated Patriots defense that for the second game in a row against Buffalo failed to force a single punt. How is that possible? Finally, if we didn't already know this, a beating like that serves as a painful reminder that head coach Bill Belichick and this team really are nothing special when they don't have Tom Brady on their side. Safety Micah Hyde and cornerback Levi Wallace each had an interception for the Bills as their defense looked much faster than New England's on the frozen field and they also seemed to hit way harder than them. 

    As usual during this depressing slide by the Pats, they did not even give themselves a chance as they got buried early and with their pedestrian offense, they cannot possibly rally to win against any decent (or in this case very good) opponent. Bills tight end Dawson Knox (5 catches, 89 yards) caught two touchdowns in the first quarter and running back Devin Singletary (16 carries, 81 yards) ran for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter as Buffalo opened up a stunning 27-3 halftime lead. In terms of margin, it was the worst defeat of Belichick's storied postseason career and it was also the most points that his team had ever allowed in a playoff game. The ghost of Emmanuel Sanders caught a 34-yard touchdown from Allen early in the third quarter which made it 33-3. New England showed a hint of pride as Bourne caught a three-yard touchdown from Jones later in the frame but it was long over in the frigid cold by then. 

    In the garbage time fourth quarter, wide receiver Gabriel Davis caught a touchdown from Allen and the ultimate disrespect from the Bills came when Allen's performance was capped by a one-yard touchdown pass to some nobody backup offensive tackle named Tommy Doyle (who I checked, shockingly isn't from Southie). Yes, the Bills were clearly running up the score and having Allen in there that late was a stupid risk but this is the same stuff that Brady & Belichick did to them forever. It doesn't feel so great being on this side of it now, huh? God bless Bourne as he caught a four-yard touchdown from Jones to at least send the rookie into the offseason with a glimmer of confidence. Buffalo advances to the Divisional Round next weekend and they look like a serious Super Bowl contender-granted it was hard to gauge with the way that New England flopped this evening. 

    So where does Belichick and Co. go from here? They are now a million miles behind Buffalo who humbled them twice in the past few weeks. They have absolutely no clue how to stop Allen or even contain him anymore. Jones is the main positive from this season and there were some other bright spots like Bourne but for the most part, this will leave a rotten taste in our mouths for a long time since they crumbled so epically after the bye week. It was not that long ago that New England was the No. 1 seed in the AFC and thought to be a legitimate contender. Yikes, how wrong we all were about that. There are still countless issues in all three phases of the game and it feels like a bunch of prominent assistant coaches (Jerod Mayo, Josh McDaniels, etc) could be gone tomorrow for heading coaching jobs around the league and who could blame them? Plus I wouldn't be surprised to see some of their older veterans like Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater all retire since what else do they have to prove at this juncture of their great careers? Without another big infusion of talent via the draft and free agency, it looks like the Pats will be stuck in NFL purgatory (as a middling team) for the near future and that is a terrible reality to accept. 

Patriots Lose Another Head-Scratcher In Miami 33-24, Now Onto Buffalo For Rd. 3 In The Playoffs

 

    Thank God that the Patriots (10-7 overall, 6-2 away) have a chance to redeem themselves next Saturday night (8:15, CBS) in the playoffs when they visit the Bills (11-6 overall, 6-3 home) in the Super Wild Card round, because if tonight's 33-24 loss at Miami's (9-8 overall, 6-3 home) Hard Rock Stadium was the final memory of the 2021-22 season, that would have made for a truly yucky offseason. At this point, I think that we're all (Pats head coach Bill Belichick included) out of possible explanations for why New England has struggled so much in Miami in recent years. Since 2013, today's loss dropped them to a mind-numbing 2-7 in Miami. If you believe that momentum going into the postseason is important, then you probably don't trust the Patriots who have lost three out of their last four games but still managed to reach the tournament (for the first time) in their second year without Tom Brady. 

    This one had the familiar trappings of New England's recent losses to Indianapolis (9-8) and the Bills as the Pats were down 14-0 less than ten minutes into the game and they were never able to fully recover. We all know what makes this edition of the Patriots successful: they have to own the lead and then they can dictate things (ie. run the ball often and play defense). When they have to rally against a quality opponent, they can't really do it at least not yet with a rookie quarterback-Mac Jones (20-of-30 for 261 yards, TD, INT)-who has very few dangerous weapons at his disposal outside of tight end Hunter Henry (5 catches, 86 yards) and maybe a converted wide receiver-Jakobi Meyers (4 catches, 70 yards)-who was a QB in college. Mac did himself no favors in New England's second loss to Miami this season (bookending the year) as he threw a brutal pick-six on the Patriots' third play of the game. 

    The Dolphins went right down the field on their opening drive (13 plays, 77 yards, 7:26) and their former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (15-of-22 for 109 yards, TD, 38 yards rushing) tossed a seven-yard touchdown to their old Crimson Tide teammate and rookie wide receiver sensation Jaylen Waddle. Kicker Jason Sanders added the point after and it was 14-0 in the blink of an eye as cornerback Xavien Howard returned Jones' terrible decision 37 yards for another score. Sanders' second PAT made it 14-0 Dolphins. He added a 30-yard field goal early in the second quarter and Miami led 17-0. Running back Brandon Bolden (46 yards rushing, 20 yards receiving) was the unexpected spark that got New England going although it's truthfully never a good sign in an important contest when he's easily one of their best players.

    Bolden ran for a 15-yard touchdown and kicker Nick Folk added the point after but New England still trailed by 10 points (17-7) at halftime. Folk's 43-yard field goal midway through the third quarter briefly cut it to a one-score game but the Patriots' overrated defense couldn't stop journeyman running back Duke Johnson (25 carries, 117 yards) who punched in a one-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter. Sanders kicked the extra point and he blasted a 49-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to basically put it out of reach at 27-10. Bolden added an 18-yard catch-and-run for another TD while running back Damien Harris notched a one-yard touchdown run and Folk hit both PATs but time ran out on the Pats and the Dolphins scored a meaningless touchdown on the goofy final play of the game.

    Jones (who also had a sloppy fumble off of a dropped snap that was all his fault) and Co. have no choice but to hopefully move on quickly since that all-important meeting with the now back-to-back AFC East champs will be here before they know it. Down to the final game of the regular season in the NFL-Raiders vs. Chargers (9-8) on Sunday Night Football-the Pats were either going to Cincinnati (10-7) or Buffalo depending on the result. The Bengals are very explosive but inexperienced so who knew what to expect against them. With Vegas' (10-7) absolutely bonkers 35-32 OT victory against LA, the Patriots and Bills are set to meet for the third time in the last six weeks which is also insane. 

    New England memorably won Round 1 in that hurricane tinged Monday Night game in Orchard Park, NY 14-10 but three weeks later, Josh Allen and his crew came to Gillette and looked like the superior team 33-21. For the Pats to pull off this upset, they'll need another weather related game which is a good bet for mid-January in Buffalo. Another thing working in their favor is that all the pressure will be on the Bills, nobody will expect Jones and the Patriots to get this one. Both clubs are extremely familiar with each other and that should make for another entertaining chapter in this finally growing rivalry.  

The Patriots Steamrolled The Hapless Jaguars 50-10 & Clinched A Playoff Spot In The Process

 

    While I take little joy in beating up on one of the worst franchises in American sports, the Patriots (10-6 overall, 4-5 home) desperately needed a win after two tough losses in a row against the Colts (9-7) and Bills (10-6) in the last few weeks. Enter the lambs known as the Jaguars (2-14 overall, 0-8 away) who came to Gillette Stadium this afternoon and got crushed 50-10 by the Pats. With the win, New England clinched a playoff spot and kept alive their faint hopes for a division title. This is the first regular season with 17 games and the Patriots will end the campaign next Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) in Miami (8-8) against the Dolphins who were elminated from playoff contention today following a 34-3 drubbing by the Titans (11-5)-who are back on top of the AFC. Buffalo hosts the Jets (4-12) which means it is unlikely that New York will pull off the upset, then again the Jags beat the Bills earlier this season so I guess we can't take almost anything for granted these days in the NFL.

    Seeing No. 1 overall pick rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence (17-of-27 for 193 yards, TD, 3 INTs) look like a puddle was a powerful reminder how much it is all about fit and the situation that you are in when it comes to the NFL. How much better would Lawrence be with the Pats? We'll never know but for now, we feel happy that we have rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-30 for 227 yards, 3 TDs) on our side. New England also has perhaps the best 1-2 combination of running backs in the NFL as rookie Rhamondre Stevenson (19 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs) and Damien Harris (2 TDs) combined for four touchdowns. This being the Pats, of course we also have to talk about an undrafted rookie wide receiver-Kristian Wilkerson-who made his NFL debut and caught not one but two touchdowns while fellow receiver N'Keal "Bust" Harry was a healthy scratch. 

    New England's top two wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 76 yards) and Jakobi Meyers (8 catches, 73 yards, TD) also had nice performances while cornerbacks Myles Bryant and J.C. Jackson along with safety Kyle Dugger each recorded an interception. Like a homecoming game in college football, this one was never remotely competitive. The Patriots were up 7-3 after the first quarter but that became 28-3 at halftime following three touchdowns by the home team in the second quarter. The Pats tacked on 13 more points in the third quarter and they cruised in the last frame by adding nine more points before Jacksonville scored the most garbage time of touchdowns-a 28-yard catch-and-run by running back Dare Ogunbowale-that along with Matthew Wright's PAT cut New England's lead down to 50-10. 

    After three rushing touchdowns last week, Harris fittingly notched the first score in this lopsided contest: a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and kicker Nick Folk added a point after to make it 7-0. The Jags settled for a 29-yard field goal by Wright later in the first quarter. It only took until the second quarter for Jacksonville to look like they didn't want to be there anymore in the cold rain and fog of Foxborough in January. In a little under 11 minutes of game time, New England scored three touchdowns to effectively put it out of reach before halftime. Harris notched a seven-yard touchdown run, Wilkerson caught a six-yard touchdown (his 1st as a pro) and Meyers grabbed a four-yard touchdown with Folk adding three point afters for that 28-3 lead.

    In the third quarter, Wilkerson was left wide open and he caught a 20-yard touchdown (Folk's extra point was blocked) before Stevenson punched in a one-yard touchdown run (Folk's point after was good) after Dugger returned his interception to the Jacksonville one-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Folk hit a 43-yard field goal and Stevenson recorded a six-yard touchdown run (the two-point run conversion failed). The Alabama duo of rookie defensive lineman Christian Barmore and linebacker Dont'a Hightower both took down Lawrence for a sack apiece. This was your classic get right game for the Patriots and all you can hope is that like earlier in the season after they destroyed the Jets (4-12), New England can use this result as a springboard to bigger and better things. They shouldn't need any extra motivation against Miami who beat them in Week 1 at Gillette.