The Buffalo Bills’ recent dominance over the New England Patriots isn’t lost on the Bills Mafia.
For years, Bills fans hoped for an upset in the regular season knowing full well it would likely be another season sweep with New England heading to the playoffs and Buffalo being “in the hunt” in early December.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
Right now, it’s clear that Buffalo has the dominant roster while New England seems to be trending in the opposite direction. It will take many more years for the Bills to have the type of dominance that the Patriots once had on Buffalo, but for the forseeable future these matchups will likely be lopsided with the Bills heavily favored.
That alone should give Bills fans plenty of encouragement.
Following the team’s 24-10 win over the Patriots and a weekend full of results that worked in Buffalo’s favor, here are reasons to be encouraged and worried.
ENCOURAGED
Back in the driver’s seat
After moving to 9-3, the Bills saw plenty of matchups work come out in their favor on Sunday.
The Brock Purdy led 49ers defeating the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs for the third consecutive game helped move Buffalo all the way to the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
There is still plenty of football left to be played and Buffalo’s schedule has some tough matchups, but the team controls their destiny once more.
Josh Allen
No Dion Dawkins? No problem.
Josh Allen adjusted and used the quick passing game to get the best of the Patriots. Allen’s final stat line (22-33, 223 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) was far from flashy, but he was efficient and moved the ball up and down the field on New England throughout the game.
James Cook
James Cook’s performance against the Patriots likely brought a smile to Brandon Beane’s face.
It was the type of performance that the GM envisioned when he drafted Cook in the second round of the draft. Cook rushed for 64 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry and added an additional 41 yards receiving. His sure hands (6 receptions on 6 targets) were also on display in the win as was his ability to pick up yards after the catch.
Look for Cook’s role to continue to expand.
Shaq Lawson
Shaq Lawson and the Bills seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.
After leaving the Bills, Lawson struggled to find his footing with the Dolphins, Texans and Jets. Back in Buffalo, however, Lawson looks like his old self. The veteran defensive end had a strong outing with three total tackles (1 TFL) and one QB hit. Lawson sets the edge well and will be an asset for Buffalo down the stretch.
Xavier Rhodes
Xavier Rhodes received the start at cornerback opposite Tre’Davious White on Thursday night and the veteran held up well. He wasn’t mentioned much in-game, generally a sign of good play in the secondary. Rhodes would play 87 percent of the defensive snaps in Buffalo’s win.
Mac Jones isn’t an elite passer by any means, but it was a strong performance nonetheless.
Greg Rousseau
In addition to Shaq Lawson, Greg Rousseau played a terrific game against the Patriots. Rousseau returned from a high ankle sprain and finished with four total tackles, one pass defensed and one QB hit against the Patriots. Buffalo needs Rousseau to make an impact play or two weekly with Von Miller out of action.
Tremaine Edmunds
It’s so easy to see how much better Buffalo’s defense is when he’s on the field. Edmunds returned from injury against New England and finished the game as Buffalo’s leading tackler (six). Edmunds moved well on the field and stopped a few plays in their tracks with immediate tackles.
Edmunds has taken his game to another level in 2022.
Red zone offense
Buffalo is starting to figure things out in the red zone.
Against New England, the Bills were 3-of-3 in the red zone with all of their trips resulting in touchdowns. The offense is trending in the right direction in this area after struggling mightily early in the year.
3rd down offense and defense
Buffalo was excellent on third down on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, Buffalo was 9-of-15 in third down efficiency. On defense, New England was only able to move the ball three times on 12 third down attempts.
Time of possession
Buffalo played keep away from the Patriots on Thursday night. In doing so, the Bills dominated in time of possession.
The Bills had possession of the ball for over 38 minutes of the game while the Patriots offense was only on the field for 21:52.
Isaiah McKenzie
Isaiah McKenzie had another productive outing for Buffalo in their win over New England. The slot receiver finished second on the team in receiving yards (44) while hauling in all five of his targets.
WORRIED
The big play
It was just one play, but Marcus Jones’ 48-yard score showed that Buffalo is still vulnerable to giving up the big play. Damar Hamlin was guilty of allowing what should have been a short reception turn into a touchdown, but this was not the first time we have seen something like this happen.
A few weeks back, Buffalo gave up a long touchdown run to Dalvin Cook that allowed the Vikings to get back into the game and ultimately knock off the Bills. Jones’ score on Thursday night did not have the same impact obviously, but Buffalo needs to limit these types of plays going forward.
Nyheim Hines’ usage
New England seemed to know exactly when Buffalo planned on giving the ball to Nyheim Hines. Buffalo gave Hines two carries that resulted in negative three yards.
It’s positive to see the Bills trying to get Hines more involved, but they don’t seem to be utilizing the back properly. Hines is at his best catching the ball out of the backfield. Hines was targeted twice in the win. He hauled in one pass for a 21 yard gain.
READ MORE
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Bills defense causes Mac Jones to throw expletive-filled tantrum in loss on Thursday night
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