5 takeaways from the Patriots’ 40-32 win over the Buffalo Bills
COMMENTARY
Between Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, the Associated Press might have a difficult time picking which New England Patriots player should win the 2015 MVP.
The Patriots made a statement with an emphatic 40-32 win over the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday. That statement: prognostications of the Patriots giving up their grip on the AFC East were premature.
Once again, Brady picked apart the Bills defense, going 38-of-59 for 466 yards and three touchdowns. Once again, Gronkowski went off with seven receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. The Bills tried everything, from cornerbacks to linebackers to double-coverage to zone and everything in between.
Bills head coach Rex Ryan probably wishes he had King Kong right about now.
That’s one of the biggest takeaways from the Patriots resounding win, but here are five more.
1. The Bills let their emotions get the better of them: Earlier this week, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about drawing a distinction between emotion and intensity in football.
“Usually high emotion and high energy leads to better execution, so I think that’s a good thing,’’ he said, “but at the same time there is a line you can cross where you end up getting a penalty or overreacting to something and being vulnerable to something else — a reverse or a pass or whatever it is that then sets you back. It’s a fine line there.’’
It’s a fine line that the Bills crossed time and time again on Sunday. They incurred eight accepted penalties in the first half, including two after-the-whistle penalties by safety Aaron Williams. The Patriots started inside the red zone on one of their first half drives thanks to a post-play penalty after a punt.
The Bills finished the game with 14 penalties for 140 yards.
They needed to play a near-perfect game to beat the Patriots, and they shot themselves in the foot time after time by getting carried away and caught up in the moment, and by just playing undisciplined football.
2. Who needs a running game?: The Patriots knew what they were up against when they headed to Buffalo. All week long, Belichick raved about the Bills defensive line, and they knew that they might have a hard time running the ball.
So, it wasn’t much of a surprise that the Patriots completely abandoned the run for long stretches. The Patriots attempted 27 passes and six runs in the first half, and 59 passes and 15 runs in the game.
The Patriots finished the game with nearly eight times as many passing yards as rushing yards. If the first two games are any indication, this could be a trend that continues all season long.
3. In-game adjustments helped Patriots find their footing: The Bills offense marched down the field in the first five minutes of the game with a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, and their defense followed up by forcing the Patriots offense to go three-and-out.
Ralph Wilson Stadium was rocking, and it looked like the Bills might roll over the Patriots.
Then, the two teams had their second drive, and given an opportunity to adjust, the Patriots found their footing. One of the bigger adjustments was on the defensive line, where the Patriots went with three big-bodied defensive tackles in Sealver Siliga, Alan Branch and Malcom Brown to help plug up the holes in the running game.
The offense didn’t make adjustments, they just started executing better. Brady connected on his first two passes, but each only gained one yard. His third pass was a deep fade to 5-foot-11 Julian Edelman, because that’s just the kind of high-efficiency play that works every time.
4. No dog house for Dion Lewis: Former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley found himself in the dog house time after time every time he put the ball on the ground.
Well, Dion Lewis had a fumble in the first half that nearly proved to be costly, but Belichick stuck with Lewis in the second half and the young running back redeemed himself. Lewis finished with 100 yards from scrimmage for the second straight week: 40 yards rushing and 98 yards receiving.
He showed off the agility and quickness of former Patriots running back Danny Woodhead, with bounce cuts and spin moves that shook defenders and allowed him to slip countless tackles.
The Patriots had a summer-long battle for the scatback role in their offense, and Lewis has proven through two weeks that he was the winner.
5. Aaron Dobson is alive and well: With veteran wide receiver Brandon LaFell on the physically unable to perform list, the Patriots were without a big-bodied pass-catcher at wide receiver.
Aaron Dobson proved that the Patriots might have one after all. He finished the game with seven catches for 87 yards, tied for the second-most receptions on the team against the Bills. This was the first time he’s recorded a reception since Week 6 of the 2014 season, when he had one catch against the Bills.
Dobson has a long way to go before he justifies the second-round pick the team used on him back in 2013, but Sunday was an important first step in the process.
Photos from the Patriots’ win over the Bills
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