Now 4-3 on the season, the Buffalo Bills gifted Bill Belichick his 300th win of the season, allowing Mac Jones to march down the field late in the fourth quarter. Jones and the Patriots offense had been one of the worst in football, failing to score more than three offensive touchdowns in a game yet this season.
That all changed on Sunday, with Jones looking remarkably capable and Belichick holding Josh Allen and Buffalo's offense at bay. 300 wins is a remarkable achievement for Belichick, whose preseason contract extension was revealed by NFL insider Ian Rapoport on Sunday morning. A 1-5 start had some in New England calling for Belichick's job, or at the very least relinquishing some of his power. Now, who knows what to think?
A loss to the Patriots is not the end of the world for the Bills, but this division is full of talent. The Miami Dolphins arguably have the best offense in football, and the New York Jets have been surprisingly successful without Aaron Rodgers.
Buffalo has to look in the mirror, but first let's review the tape.
Buffalo Bills to blame: Sean McDermott
Sean McDermott is great at taking the blame. It's much of what makes him a tremendous leader and a solid head coach. When a group like the Bills us underachieving, however, the first place fans should look is to the coach's box.
McDermott's defense failed on Sunday, allowing Mac Jones to look surprisingly capable and drive down the field in the closing minutes. The Bills should not fall victim to such things, especially considering how the Patriots offense looked a few weeks ago against the Saints and Cowboys.
Maybe it was a lack of focus, or facing a great coach with a milestone on the line, but the Bills did not appear ready defensively this week. For a coach whose calling card is that same defense, it's not a great look.
Buffalo Bills to blame: Ken Dorsey
Ken Dorsey is one of the better young offensive coordinators in the sport at this best, but that was not on Sunday. The main criticism opponents of Dorsey have for him at times is his lack of commitment to the run game. Against the Patriots, Dorsey and Co. were far too predictable.
Dorsey ran James Cook just 13 times despite averaging over four yards per carry. Cook has been effective most the season, but on limited touches failed to provide Josh Allen -- or the Bills defense for that matter -- with much of a break.
The rest of the Buffalo backfield averages just over two yards per carry, yet received 11 touches (just two less than Cook, who doubled their output). Meanwhile, Allen again threw the ball 41 times, and the running game was nonexistent late in the contest.
Buffalo Bills to blame: Josh Allen
Josh Allen can make or break his team's success, and is arguably the most important single player to his team in the NFL. If Allen has an off day, odds are his team will struggle. The Bills again found that out the hard way on Sunday when Allen had three touchdowns and two turnovers against the Patriots.
Belichick knows there is no stopping Allen, but only containing him. Forcing two Allen turnovers is a win for New England's defense.
During practice this week, Allen showed a bit of frustration towards NFL fans questioning this offense's ability to move the ball and play calling:
"There's a lot of All-Pro offensive coordinators out there watching games, a lot of quarterbacks in the stands who think they know what they're doing," Allen said. "I trust him implicitly. If you look at the statistics over the last couple of years, of how much we've scored and how efficient we've been as an offense, we're at the top or near the top in almost every statistical category. Just because we've hit a lull right now doesn't necessarily mean it's the end of the world. We're working through some things and this adversity is going to help us moving forward to get our answers quicker."
While Allen has complete trust in Dorsey, he needs to hold up his end of the bargain. Buffalo did move the ball quite well in the passing game, but his turnovers cost them points. In a four-point game, every play matters.
