Takeaways from the Patriots’ Week 17 Loss at the Bills

The Patriots have fallen to the Bills in their second hotly-contested matchup this season. The loss drops New England to a 3-12 record, the most losses since Robert Kraft bought the team 30 years ago and the most in Bill Belichick’s 29-year coaching career. But more importantly for the franchise’s future, the defeat means they again hold a top-three draft pick, though that can change after today’s games.

Like last week, the Patriots found themselves down multiple starters entering today’s game. JuJu Smith-Schuster was placed on injured reserve on Saturday after missing back-to-back games with a knee injury, ending a disappointing first season in New England. Jabrill Peppers (hamstring) and Hunter Henry (knee) were inactive due to injury for a second straight game, leading to safety Joshuah Bledsoe being signed to the 53-man roster and tight end Matt Sokol being elevated from the practice squad.

But the most surprising name to land on the inactives list was Trent Brown, who was a healthy scratch after being removed from the injury report on Friday. Given Brown’s inexcusable effort at times against the Broncos, this move feels like the beginning of the end for the left tackle in New England. Andrew Stueber was elevated from the practice squad to add tackle depth behind backup Vederian Lowe.

The storylines in this game went much deeper than some of the box score stats would suggest. New England’s depleted offense committed four turnovers before halftime, with Zappe throwing three picks, but each of the quarterback’s giveaways needs more context to be judged fairly. The defense put on an objectively impressive performance against one of the league’s most formidable quarterback-receiver duos and rushing attacks, but the Bills also missed several opportunities to pull away throughout the game.

For all of today’s blemishes, the Patriots’ refusal to lay down late in a lost season has been a sight to behold. Frankly, they’ve shown more resiliency than any Belichick-coached team since Brady’s final days in New England. Recent efforts don’t excuse years of poor personnel and staff decisions, but they give Belichick a compelling case to return for at least one more season as the team’s head coach.

Here are my key takeaways from the Patriots’ 27-21 loss in Buffalo.

Zappe Bounces Back After Turnover-Filled Start

The Patriots dug themselves into an early hole against the Bills with a deluge of turnovers and sloppy play, falling behind 20-7 before their first offensive score. Belichick didn’t hold back when asked about the disastrous start, calling it “a terrible first 20 minutes.” Zappe’s trio of interceptions will paint him as the primary culprit, but I think his turnovers had more to do with poor execution from his supporting cast and great defense from the Bills.

New England gave the ball away on its first offensive play for the second time in as many weeks. Zappe initially wanted Pharaoh Brown in the flat, but the tight end took too long making himself available, leading to a late throw to Gesicki. The Bills capitalized by deflecting the pass, which Ed Oliver stole on an incredible effort.

Brown also fumbled on the offense’s fourth possession, an error the Bills turned into three points.

On Zappe’s second interception, Rasul Douglas made a great play to jump a backside slant to DeVante Parker, one of the Patriots’ staple plays. It’s possible the quarterback could’ve double-clutched after seeing Douglas pounce, but it was also a quick concept where decisions must be made quickly. Hats off to Douglas for recognizing a tendency and making a play.

Zappe’s final interception was entirely on Jalen Reagor, who failed to adjust his route with Buffalo blitzing, leading to an easy pick-six. Even James White took to Twitter and called out the mistake.

When the flood of turnovers dried up, the offense managed to string positive plays together for its first points of the day. Zappe was integral to the scoring drive, delivering a perfectly placed ball to DeVante Parker on a crossing route and capping the drive with a touchdown run against man coverage, the first such score of his career.

That possession began a theme that carried over throughout the game, with Zappe using his legs to evade pressure and make plays outside of structure while delivering impressive throws downfield. Other highlights included a scramble conversion to Mike Gesicki on 3rd down and a drop in the bucket to Jalen Reagor deep downfield.

The Patriots should still be in the market for a quarterback this summer, but Zappe has done an admirable job elevating an unimpressive supporting cast and shown more ability than anyone could’ve expected. Whether it’s as a starter ahead of a struggling rookie or as a high-quality backup, I think the second-year quarterback has more than earned a spot on the 2024 squad.

Defense Holds Bills to Two Touchdowns in Strong, but Imperfect Performance

Despite poor ball security providing consistently awful field position, the Patriots’ defense held the Bills to just two offensive touchdowns, both on quarterback sneaks, and a pair of field goals. David Andrews lamented putting the defense in “impossible positions,” but the group stepped up for most of the game to contain an explosive Bills offense.

Josh Allen made his share of plays, and he missed other deep ball opportunities that could’ve made this game less competitive than it was. Still, Allen rarely turned broken plays into substantial gains and was held to a 53.3 passer rating while throwing an interception and being strip sacked on Buffalo’s first play from scrimmage.

Deatrich Wise, who was responsible for the opening takedown, credited Jerod Mayo for his work in preparing the unit, saying, “He gets us ready every day.”

New England also contained the two other heads on Buffalo’s three-headed monster. Stefon Diggs finished the game with four catches for just 26 yards. James Cook managed 3.0 yards a pop on 16 carries, his longest run going for eight yards.

Anfernee Jennings was a big part of New England’s success on the ground, knifing into the backfield for multiple stops. And while Christian Barmore didn’t record a sack or hit, he did register six tackles. Jonathan Jones, Alex Austin, and Kyle Dugger, who also had a quarterback hit, were credited with pass breakups.

As stout as the defense was throughout the game, Belichick noted how the team missed two turnover opportunities on Wise’s sack and a Dugger forced fumble, saying, “Turnovers [were] a big story of the game. We knocked the ball off Allen a couple of times but we couldn’t get it. Big edge there.”

While the defense’s performance was imperfect, it was impressive, considering how little help the offense provided for large stretches of the afternoon.

Rookie Defenders Make a Big Impact

Keion White has seemingly caught fire over the past few games, and today’s game continued that upward trajectory. During his press conference, Belichick said that the rookie “gets better every week,” and defenders were buzzing about White in the postgame locker room. His three tackles and one quarterback hit may not jump off the stat sheet, but his disruptive ability passed the eye test with flying colors.

White’s discipline also stood out, particularly after some struggles early in his freshman campaign, as he did a great job keeping Josh Allen hemmed in on an early drive that ended in a three-and-out.

Defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington may have unlocked another talented young player, and White deserves a ton of credit for putting in the work to improve his game.

As well as the defensive lineman performed, fellow rookie Alex Austin had the play of the day for New England’s defense, peeling off his initial route to pick off Josh Allen late in the 1st half.

Austin told reporters that the Patriots practiced Buffalo’s post-wheel concept during the week and knew Allen was trying to bait him out of his zone. It was an impressive show of recognition, coordination, and ball skills for the cornerback against his former team.

Kevin Harris Makes the Most of Limited Opportunities

Kevin Harris has consistently flashed in limited opportunities over the past two seasons, and today marked arguably his best performance as a pro. The back totaled 69 yards on just four touches before mysteriously disappearing in the 2nd half. His first carry of the day went for 15 yards, eluding backfield penetration and jumping over a pile into daylight.

Harris’s best play of the day was a screen where he capitalized on excellent blocking from the interior offensive line, then showed off his sneaky speed to pull out in front of two Bills defensive backs for a 48-yard gain. This was the spark that ignited New England’s first scoring drive.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, as Harris nearly fumbled two plays earlier after taking a hand off of the football as he hit the ground.

That said, he made a one-handed grab on an errant pass before the miscue, and I think Harris’ body of work in limited touches should earn him a bigger workload in the season finale next week.

Leftovers

• Bryce Baringer’s impressive rookie year continues, as his 57-yard punt in the first quarter extended his team record for the longest single-season streak of games with at least one 50-yard punt. He’s had at least one in all 16 games.
• DeMario Douglas entered today’s game with the most catches for a rookie wide receiver in the Belichick era. He is now the leader among Patriots rookies in receiving yards over that span after totaling 31 against the Bills.
• Jalen Reagor’s 98-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff, which featured several key blocks and was one of the most well-executed plays for New England this season, marked the fourth kick return score in team history.
• Chad Ryland’s game-winning kick against the Broncos was incredible, but that momentum didn’t carry over this week. He missed his first field goal attempt wide and would’ve had a pair of misses if not for a delay of game penalty. The team has expressed confidence in Ryland, but it would be irresponsible for them not to seek depth this offseason.
• Ezekiel Elliott has had to claw and scratch for every yard since Rhamondre Stevenson was lost to an ankle injury, and he’s been exceptional in blitz pickup. The offense’s final touchdown drive featured two of his best runs in weeks, including a 3rd down conversion where he should’ve been stopped for a loss and an incredible effort to punch the ball into the end zone. If Elliott wants to return to the Patriots next season, he’s a no-brainer re-signing.