After the Pats took a 14-point lead, the Bills answered right back with a 46-yard touchdown by Cook. It was a simple wide zone lead scheme by Buffalo out of a two-back formation. The Bills blockers eclipsed Pats linebackers Jahlani Tavai and Sione Takitaki, a common occurrence this season, and safety Marte Mapu over-ran the play as the deep safety. Cook saw the huge cutback lane, and with Mapu out of position, there’s nobody there to make a play.
The Patriots two-gapping system is all about building a wall with great gap discipline and physicality at the point of attack. This season, the Pats linebackers are getting blocked too easily on the second level, and their entire defense hasn’t been taking great angles to the ball. As a result, the open-field tackling at the second and third levels has been inconsistent.
New England must address the run defense with personnel upgrades in the front seven this offseason. Although they have needs on offense, they’re too soft in the middle of the defense. It’s among the biggest weaknesses on the team.
5. With Man Coverage Plan, a Look at the Patriots Matchups in the Secondary
With the Patriots playing over 64 percent of the game in man coverage, this was a matchup game for some on New England’s defense. Mainly, veteran Jonathan Jones had the tough task of shadowing Bills leading receiver Khalil Shakir. In 16 routes covering Shakir, Jones was excellent, allowing two catches for 22 yards on five targets with a pass breakup.
Other than Jones on Shakir, the other matchups were determined mainly by sides, with CB Christian Gonzalez mostly lining up across from rookie Keon Coleman (11 routes). Gonzo covered Bills wideout Amari Cooper on six routes, allowing one catch for 10 yards. Based on my live viewing, this was an outstanding game for the Patriots corners vs. the Bills receivers.
6. Patriots Stick With Same Five Along the Offensive Line in Week 16
Despite having former first-rounder Cole Strange active for the first time, the Patriots opted for continuity along the offensive line. The group that played the whole game was LT Vederian Lowe, LG Layden Robinson, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs.
On initial viewing, this was a down game for RT Trey Jacobs, who had 16 reps vs. future Hall of Fame pass-rusher Von Miller. Jacobs allowed a team-high five pressures, had two false starts, and missed the cut block on Rousseau, which led to the fumble-six. The other pressure point was at left guard, where rookie Layden Robinson allowed three pressures. In all, Maye was under pressure on 37.2% of his drop-backs. But some of that was the Bills sending the house on several low red zone plays late in the fourth quarter that Maye took responsibility for post-game.
As always, we’ll watch the film to properly grade the offensive line, but the pressure rate was a tad high this week, especially when the Patriots needed to throw the ball in the fourth quarter.
7. RB Rhamondre Stevenson in the Middle of Two Turnovers as Pats Lose TO Battle
Speaking after the game, head coach Jerod Mayo pointed to his team’s three turnovers to Buffalo’s one giveaway as a key to the game that went in the Bills favor. The Pats lead-back was in the mix on two of those three turnovers. It’s tough to put the backward pass on Stevenson, as it was mainly on Maye for throwing it and Jacobs for missing his block. However, Rhamondre fumbled for an NFL-high seventh time on Sunday, setting up a Bills field goal. Stevenson now has as many fumbles this season as his first years combined. He has been grinding out difficult yards with bodies flying around him all year, but Stevenson has to clean up his fumbling issues as we look ahead. Stevenson signed a four-year extension with the Patriots this past offseason, so his ball security must improve.
8. Patriots Execute a Fake Punt and Kickoff the Game with 42-Yard Return
Despite being down stud punt returner Marcus Jones, the Patriots had a strong showing on special teams. Pats running back Antonio Gibson opened the game with a 42-yard kickoff return that set up the offense with great field position. Then, New England extended a drive by converting a fake punt on a 4th-and-1, an example of their aggressiveness.
On the fake punt, the Patriots snapped the ball directly to personal protector Dell Pettus. Buffalo actually played the fake punt well, but the Pats got a good push on the interior to make the line to gain. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t take advantage of the successful fake punt, but it was a good moment for special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer’s unit. Lastly, recently signed WR Alex Erickson replaced Jones (punts) and Hasty (kickoffs) as a primary returner.
