By: Noah Gould
On Monday, the Bills played what felt like one of their biggest games in recent memory. For the first time in years they were featured on Monday Night Football. Even though the Bills hadn’t ever truly beaten Tom Brady in Foxborough some Bills fans still felt hope. The game was close down to the end, but the Bills came up short yet again.
The Bills defense played pretty well in the game. They were able to slow down the Patriots more than almost any other team had this season. For once it seemed like Rex Ryan was able to out scheme the Patriots. It was the Patriots first game without both Edelman and Deon Lewis; both of their abilities would have been useful to beat the blitzes. The Bills also succeeded in slowing down Gronkowski, who is probably the most talented offensive player in the NFL and is rarely shut down like he was on Monday. The defense proved that against one of the best offenses in the league they can keep the game very competitive no matter what. If the defense stays at this high level of play the Bills will have a great shot at the playoffs.
On the other hand the offense didn’t do quite enough to win the game. They was plagued by a missed field goal by Dan Carpenter at the end of the first half which might have shifted the entire game. The Bills offense has obviously struggled all season. Tyron Taylor has frequently been inaccurate; it is unclear how much his obvious shoulder injury affected him. The Patriots tend to always try and succeed in taking away one thing from the opposing offense. In this game they successfully took Sammy completely out of the game. Tyron was unable to connect with Hogan on two deep balls which could have both turned the game. In the end this game just came down the fact the offense needs to figure out how to perform better. In the end the Patriots and Bills were only separated by 37 total yards of offense, 2 first downs, and five minutes of possession.
This game is a good sign for this Bills season. The Patriots are the best team in the league, so there is no shame in losing to them on the road by a touchdown. This performance by the defense could be a great sign of things to come. The Bills have two easy games remaining against Washington and Philadelphia. They also have key games at Kansas City and home to the Texans and Jets. They also have a difficult home game against Dallas. If the defense plays like this they will have a good chance to win all six of those games.
