"And that might not have been a loss if not for a New England touchdown on special teams as well as the second-half departure of Bills quarterback Josh Allen."
Where to begin?
Let me start with the special teams score dis. And it is a dis. Like those touchdowns shouldn't count or should come with an asterisk. Patriots fans have been living with this for as long as Belichick has been their head coach. After winning the AFC Championship in Pittsburgh on their way to SB ring #1, I remember Steelers players sniffing (sniffling?) in postgame comments that the Patriots winning thanks to two special teams scores (a blocked FGA returned for a score and a Troy Brown punt return for 6) wasn't real football. Not mano y mano, line of scrimmage, three-point stance, win your head-to-head match up, leather helmets football!
Special teams scores. Just another case of cheateration by the Patriots.
As for the outcome of the first NEvsBUF game being different if not for an ill-advised tuck and run by Josh Allen? This is not the first time I've seen this comment from pigskin pundits and bobbleheads and it baffles me.
Has everyone forgotten that Allen had thrown 3 interceptions prior to his early exit? Allen's line from the Week 4 tilt in Buffalo was 13 of 28 for 153 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT. His passer rating was 24.0 and his QBR was 8.9. He was also sacked 4 times for -31 yards.
And the Patriots might have lost had that guy not been knocked out of the game?
What does any of that mean for this Week 16 Saturday match up in Foxborough?
Not. A. Damn. Thing.
What will make a difference?
A wounded Patriots defense steps up and shuts down the Bills offense…
It's a good thing New England was so deep at the cornerback position. Was being the operative word. Injuries to Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones could test the Patriots ability to cover Buffalo's talented and dangerous wide receivers. Big nickel? Creative blitz packages? A crazy big game from an unlikely hero? (I'm looking at you, Chase Winovich.) New England is going to need to pressure Allen, generate turnovers, and they're going to need a great defensive game plan for the Bills to make that happen.
Bill Belichick: Hold my beer.
N'Keal Harry has his coming out party…
The more the rookie WR has been incorporated into the offensive game plan, the better the Patriots offense has looked. And with Julian Edelman battling through injuries to every part of his body (I think there's a toe on his left foot that's still probable for this Saturday), the Patriots and Tom Brady need somebody else to pick up the slack. It would be nice (necessary?) if Mohamed Sanu exits the Witness Protection Program and if Philip Dorsett could make just a play or two but this Saturday feels like a moment waiting to happen for N'Keal Harry. A 6 catch, 3 TD kind of moment.
Block a kick…
Hell right. Block two. Take one to the house. Give the offense a short field on the other one.
As noted above, I'll be happy for the Patriots to win this game on the margin of a special teams score and I'll be on the edge of my seat for every kick in this game.
It's 2001 all over again…
By whatever measure you'd like to use, the 2001 New England Patriots were not the best team in the NFL. They were 14-point underdogs in the Super Bowl. As improbable as winning SB36 may have been, remember they got there following two playoff wins just as - if not more - improbable as that upset of the Greatest Show on Turf. The overtime win in the Snow Bowl, a game featuring excellent officiating and the Greatest Field Goal Made in the History of Everything. The Patriots followed that up with the above noted AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh, a game won by backup QB Drew Bledsoe and those two special teams' scores.
If it's starting to feel like that - winning with defense, special teams, and an offense that doesn't turn the ball over - well, that's a pretty good feeling, isn't it?
Yeah.
Let's do this!
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