Remember when we thought this NFL year would be a fun debate over who was ultimately more important to the Patriots' dynasty: Tom Brady or Bill Belichick? It's not even halfway through the regular season for New England (2-5 for the 1st time since 2000) but after their heartbreaking 24-21 loss this afternoon against the Bills (6-2) at New Era Field, we can conclude that while Belichick is the greatest head coach in league history, he wouldn't have been anything close to that without Brady who has the Bucs (5-2) sitting pretty with an easy win on the docket tomorrow night at the Giants (1-6). This was the fourth straight loss for the Pats (for the 1st time since 2002) and unquestionably the worst given the stakes: there was a path to climb back into the playoff race if they could beat the AFC East leader. Instead, now you wonder what their plan is for Tuesday's trade deadline (4 pm) and then for the rest of the cursed 2020 campaign.
In the good old days, this had all the makings of a contest that the Patriots come out on top of based mostly on its opponent falling apart in key moments. Instead, already in field goal range (that would have sent it to overtime) Cam Newton (15-of-25 for 174 yards; 54 yards rushing, TD) fumbled after a hit by something called Justin Zimmer with another nobody (Dean Marlowe) recovering it at the Bills' 13-yard line. Game over. New England's dominance vs. Buffalo was renowned when Brady was here, in fact this marked the first time the Bills had beaten the Patriots at home (!) since 2011. Expect many other stats and streaks like that to continue to fall for the Pats over their final nine games.
With their best defensive player (cornerback Stephon Gilmore) and their best offensive player (wide receiver Julian Edelman) both out with various injuries, the Pats did a more than admirable job hanging in there with a pair of second-year players-running back Damien Harris (16 carries, 102 yards, TD) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (6 catches, 58 yards on 10 targets) giving them the biggest boosts while also bringing up the question of why weren't they getting more touches earlier this season while the offense continued to flat-line? Moreover, while his lack of arm strength is still very scary, Newton at least was making plays consistently for the first time since he contracted Covid-19. He outplayed Bills quarterback Josh Allen (11-of-18 for 154 yards, INT; 23 yards rushing, TD) who continues to regress since his strong start to his third pro season.
Like the Pats, Buffalo got most of its offense done on the ground-Massachusetts high school style (you know when that was still a thing pre-Covid). Devin Singletary (14 carries, 86 yards) and rookie Zach Moss (14 carries, 81 yards) had nearly identical numbers save for the fact that Moss found the end zone twice for his first two scores in the NFL. The Bills made the most of having Stefon Diggs (6 catches, 92 yards on 9 targets) on their team as he looks every bit the part of one of the best receivers in the league. New England never led in the entire game so I guess it would have felt a bit like stealing if they had somehow won. Allen did his part to keep it close by throwing an awful interception right to Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson and rookie receiver Gabriel Davis dropped a sure-touchdown on Buffalo's final drive.
I get that he has limited options right now but I doubt that you will be hearing Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' name mentioned anytime soon for another crack at a head coaching job in the league. Like Bill, many of his warts are being exposed without TB12 to gloss over them with his insane skills and brilliant football mind. New England's offense took awhile to get going as Moss' eight-yard touchdown run was the only score of the first quarter. Patriots kicker Nick Folk accounted for all the points in the second quarter on a 43-yard kick and a 33-yard kick (when the Pats didn't even dare to try and call one more play from the red zone before halftime).
Moss added a four-yard touchdown on Buffalo's first drive of the third quarter but Harris answered with an impressive 22-yard touchdown run (his first NFL TD) of his own late in the frame. The Pats tied it up at 14 and grabbed the momentum thanks to Newton's two-point conversion pass to Meyers. Allen's two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter was mirrored by Cam's two-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive. Rookie Tyler Bass' 28-yard field goal turned out to be the winning-play for the Bills after Gabriel's drop. No surprise, you could see Newton's visible frustration while he sat on the bench after he gave the game away. You have to feel for a guy that at one time was an NFL MVP, it has to be brutal to see your skills erode to this sad point.
I never thought I would say this but for as long as I can remember, this is the first Patriots season that I hardly care much about. I think that's due to a combination of factors: the pandemic has shown how trivial many things in life can be plus watching the Pats lose week after week admittedly takes much of the enjoyment out of the whole process. I know, I know, we were so incredibly spoiled for almost 20 years. To use a modern analogy, this is the equivalent of breaking up with or no longer being friends with someone then seeing them on social media supposedly thriving with another person. After cheaping out on weapons for Brady the past few years and due to his many turd-filled draft classes, it seems like Belichick the GM is getting what he deserves. On the other side, TB12 is 43 on one of the great losers in pro sports and yet he's already created a huge culture change playing for a dopey head coach (Bruce Arians) who at least had the knowledge to surround his star with tons of great players.
At this point, the Pats would probably have to go at least 7-2 down the stretch to have a realistic shot at making the NFL playoffs. Is there any chance you can see that as a remote possibility for this woefully thin roster? Yeah, me neither. They are doubly screwed too because they still have to play the Jets (0-8) twice and New York is halfway to a winless season for the sole purpose of having the No. 1 overall pick and presumably drafting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Additionally, it's tough to picture Belichick or many of the veteran Patriots shamefully tanking at any time no matter how bleak the outlook appears to be. For some unknown reason, ESPN booked Pats-Jets for Monday Night Football (8:15) next week at Metlife Stadium. Even before the season began, who was dumb enough to think that meeting would have any juice? You might hate me for saying this but I'd almost root for New England to lose that one but with the way this year has gone, I know they would undoubtedly screw that up too. Oy, the weather this weekend felt like winter and without the NBA and NHL seasons likely starting again until 2021, we need something to watch sportswise until then. Unfortunately, in that way and countless others, the Patriots just aren't getting the job done anymore when we could truly use them the most.
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