New England’s Defense Keeps Their Perfect Record, Patriots Beat Bills, 16-10

The New England Patriots’ defense was the key ingredient in another win of the champions. This time, it was the Buffalo Bills, who laid down their weapons before Tom Brady and the boys, in one very interesting game. The final result was 16-10 for the guests from Foxborough, but the champs had to give everything they had in order to post a victory here.

We need to say that Bills had a huge setback at the start of the fourth quarter when their starting quarterback Josh Allen had to go out following one vicious hit. If he had stayed on the field, things would definitely be different for the hosts. Even though he had just 153 yards and was picked three times, it seems that the morale of the home team decreased after he left the field. Allen had an awful game, without a single TD pass, completing 13 of his 28 passes and suffering 4 sacks, but then again, the Bills were very close.

Allen’s replacement Matt Barkley did a solid job, 9 of 16 for 127 yards, but in the moments when the game was on the line, and Pats led 16-10, Jamie Collins intercepted his pass. That was with 1:27 left in the game, with 2-and-9, 39 yards from New England’s end zone.

“We had good team defense,” said Bill Belichick at the press conference. “But Jamie’s been doing a great job for us all year, he took over the signal-caller responsibilities, so just whatever we ask him to do he’s done a great job.”

When the game started, it appeared that the champs are about to seal an easy win in Buffalo.

Tom Brady was moving the offense without the slightest mistake up until the late part of the second quarter. The Bills could just watch as Pats’ running game demolishes their defense. With a 13-0 advantage, the guests were in full control over the situation on the field. They were on a drive which lasted more than 8 minutes, which also demoralized the home team. But the situation radically changed. After 16 plays and 93 yards won, Brady threw an interception, being two yards away from the end zone. From that moment on, the game got another dimension.

The Bills scored their first points two minutes later, converting a field goal. Their morale got boosted, especially by forcing Brady to go three-and-out immediately after, keeping the momentum in their hands. Until the end of the half, Buffalo missed a chance to score another field goal, with Stephen Hauschka’s 49-yard attempt going wide.

But the hosts kept grinding and scored their first TD of the game with 4:23 minutes into the second half. A minute before the end of that sequence, Stephen Gostkowski scored the last points in this match, and the fourth quarter was all about tough and fierce defense.

Barkley led the Bills to the red zone in his first drive, but the hosts couldn’t execute. Following that, we’ve seen five consecutive punts on both sides, before the interception which solved the game.

“Both defenses played phenomenally, both defenses had played really well. But our defense just did a great job there at the end,” Brady told the journalists.

He was a bit harsh to him and the offense, saying that they have to do a better job in the future.

At the age of 36, Frank Gore showcased everyone why is he still among the few elite running backs in the league, and one of the best ever. With his 109 rushing yards on 19 carries, he eclipsed 15,000 running yards, becoming only the fourth player to do so. Ahead of him are Emmit Smith with 18,355, Walter Payton 16,726 and Barry Sanders with 15, 269. It seems that the Detroit Lions’ icon will soon be surpassed by Gore, who was without the brightest spot in the Bills’ lineup tonight.

Welcome to the 15,000-yard rush club, @frankgore! #GoBills #NEvsBUF

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On the other side, Brady ended the game without a TD and with just 150 yards, completing 18 of his 39 passing attempts. The sole touchdown for the Pats was delivered by Brandon Bolden who rushed for four yards. Bills had 375 yards from the scrimmage, compared to 224 of the Pats.

Just to mention, there was one very nice thing to see at the halftime of this event. Two big Bills’ fans had their wedding on the field. Mackenzie Park and Jordan Binggeli had the honor of having Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and Steven Tasker as their guests. Kyle Williams, the former defensive tackle who retired last year, was performing the ceremony.

Up next, the Patriots are going to Washington, and hosts the Giants after that. Buffalo meets Tenessee on the road and awaits the Dolphins afterward.