The Buffalo Bills They left no doubt as they declared themselves the best team in the AFC East and a legitimate threat to reach Super Bowl 2022 during their home game on Saturday night, January 15.
Buffalo took a decisive game against their bitter rivals, the New England Patriots for the uneven result of 47-17. New England quarterback, Mac Jones, looked like a player in his first postseason between the noise of the visiting crowd in Buffalo and the freezing temperatures, which led to some ineffectiveness.
After a strong shot early on that ended with an interception in the end zone by Bills safety Micah Hyde, Jones and the Patriots’ offense managed to muster just three points in the first half. They added two minor touchdowns in the second half, but nothing could stop Buffalo’s onslaught.
After the game, Jones met with the media to talk about his performance in his first playoff game.
Jones: ‘I was a rookie and played like one at times’
Jones doesn’t deserve to take all the blame for the Patriots’ failures. In fact, most of the criticism should be directed at the defense, which was awful against the Bills.
However, just as quarterbacks sometimes get more credit than they deserve, they also get more blame than they deserve. Jones, as he has done all season, didn’t try to shirk responsibility.
“For me, obviously, I was a rookie and … I played like a rookie at times and I shouldn’t have,” Jones admitted during his post game press conference. “I can play better, and that’s my goal for this offseason, to move forward and bring the guys with me.”
Jones was probably too hard on himself, but he had the same sensitive, tearful countenance he has had during much of the team’s biggest losses. That’s something he’ll need to work on next season.
Losing doesn’t feel good, and no one wants a player or team leader who doesn’t mind losing. However, the strongest leaders usually have a better handle on their body language after a loss.
How the Patriots lost the game
The Patriots’ defense was terrible, allowing the Bills to score touchdowns on all seven of their offensive possessions.
According Brett Kollmann from the YouTube series “The Film Room”, Buffalo had its first perfect offensive game in NFL history, “No punts. Without interceptions. No lost fumbles. All touchdowns on each series until knee on the ground to end the game.
New England needed a solid start, and that didn’t happen, with the team trailing 14-0 late in the first quarter. The Patriots needed to establish a running game. They failed to eclipse the 125-yard mark, which had been a magic number for the team this season.
The Patriots turned the ball over twice, which has been a poisonous pill for New England. The combination of all those things was a recipe for a 30-point pummeling in prime time.
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