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Patriots-Bills Stock Watch: Pats defense did good job vs. Josh Allen originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots didn’t beat the Buffalo Bills in Sunday’s Week 16 game at Highmark Stadium, but it still was, in several ways, an encouraging performance for head coach Jerod Mayo’s team.
The Patriots were heavy underdogs coming in, but they played the AFC East-leading Bills pretty tough, even jumping out to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. A difficult second half, highlighted by numerous self-inflicted errors, ultimately led to a 24-21 loss for the Patriots.
The Patriots defense gave up just 17 points (Buffalo’s defense also scored a TD) and largely held Bills quarterback and NFL MVP favorite Josh Allen in check. Allen threw for 154 yards — his fourth-lowest total in a game this season — with one touchdown and one interception.
There were a few encouraging aspects about the Patriots offense’s performance, too. The run game picked up 126 yards (4.2 per carry) and scored a touchdown. New England also went 7-for-12 on third down after going 0-for-6 last week. But the game was lost in the second half when the Patriots offense turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions. You can’t do that against an elite opponent and expect to win.
The Patriots now have a 3-12 record entering Saturday’s Week 17 matchup versus the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium. But before we look ahead to that game, Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry share their “Stock Up” and “Stock Down” selections from Sunday’s loss to Buffalo:
Stock Up
DeMarcus Covington, Defensive coordinator
The Bills offense scored 90 points in the previous two weeks combined, but this unit scored only 17 against the Patriots defense. New England’s secondary did a nice job covering Buffalo wideouts and tight ends, too. Bills running back James Cook led the team with just 26 receiving yards.
Perry: “Let’s go to DeMarcus Covington. I think to put together that kind of plan, especially where –…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-bills-stock-watch-pats-180302875.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-12-23 18:55:00
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