Buffalo Bills

Three Takeaways From Bills Loss To Patriots

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

VS.

You should always try to learn from your failures so here are three takeaways from Bills loss to New England Patriots this past Sunday.

Takeaway 1: The Bills could not get off the field on 3rd down.

The Buffalo Bills defense didn’t play nearly as bad as you’d think considering they gave up 41 points against the New England Patriots this week. They held LeGarette Blount, the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher heading into the week, to just 43 yards on 18 carries.

They also got good pressure on the quarterback sacking Tom Brady four times and Jimmy Garoppolo once for a total of five. They were in Brady’s face for a good portion of the day but unfortunately he was able to avoid the pressure moving around in the pocket to make the necessary plays.

In typical Brady fashion, he did this countless times when it was most important on third downs. The Patriots finished the day 9 for 13 on third down conversions which is unacceptable for a defense as good as Buffalo’s.

In the first quarter alone they were five for five on third downs. On the Patriots first drive, they converted four consecutive third downs with the last one being a nine-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola to take a 7 – 3 lead.

The Bills were able to hold the Patriots offense back it seemed until third down where they’d find a way to make a play which would burn Buffalo. At one point they were eight for ten on third down conversations before the game really got out of hand.

The Bills inability to get off the field on third down was the ultimate reason why they ended up giving up 41 points to the Patriots this past Sunday.

Oct 30, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) is knocked out of bounds after making a catch for a first down with Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24) defending during the first quarter at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Stephon Gilmore was just plain terrible

Stephon Gilmore had one of his worst games of the season against the Patriots. The only other game that can compare is his performance against the Jets. On Sunday, Gilmore was called for two holding penalties and both were in key situations.

The first happened on a 2nd and 3 for the Patriots which as a result of the penalty gave them 1st and 1 from the Bills one-yard line. LeGarrette Blount punched the ball into the end zone on the very next play to make it 38 – 17 Patriots.

His second holding call of the game came on a 3rd and 12 play which gave the Patriots an automatic first down. They would end up kicking a field goal upping their total to 41 points on the day.

Besides those bad penalties, Gilmore was burnt by former Buffalo Bill Chris Hogan on a 53-yard passing play on a 3rd and 13 play with a little over a minute left in the first quarter. He glanced around confused after the play like he should have had some safety help over the top but the fact of the matter is he never should’ve let Hogan get so much space on him.

On another big play, Rob Gronkowski turned around and made a catch while Gilmore was covering him. Gronk then manhandled Gilmore and was able to gain 33 total yards on the play. According to Pro Football Focus, Gilmore gave up four catches on five targets for a total of 105 yards. For a “number one cornerback” who wants “Josh Norman money”, he sure isn’t playing like it.

Pro Football Focus ranks Gilmore as the 82nd best cornerback in the league this season which basically means he is an average nickel cornerback by their rankings. For a player in a contract year, Gilmore is having a rough season. If he continues to play this way, there is no way the Bills can justify giving him the deal he wants.

Dec 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes (55) receives a penalty in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Penalties crushed the Bills

The Bills were charged with 12 penalties on Sunday giving the Patriots 84 free yards and six of their 23 total first downs on the day. That’s three times as many rushing first downs as the Patriots had against the Bills.

Buffalo didn’t just commit penalties, but they committed stupid penalties which were totally avoidable. They were called for too many men on the field twice, an illegal formation once, unnecessary roughness and roughing the passer. Those were five penalties right there that could have easily been avoided by more disciplined play.

Four of the Bills twelve penalties came on third downs and three of those gave the Patriots first downs. Technically, all four did but the Patriots had gotten the first down on a 3rd and 3 on a five-yard passing play to Danny Amendola so the unnecessary roughness by Nickell Robey-Coleman really just led to additional yards.

On the drives that the Bills committed penalties the Patriots scored three touchdowns and one field goal. Many of the penalties extended the drives allowing the Patriots to end up with those results.

You’re never going to beat a team as good as the Patriots when you shoot yourself in the foot the way the Bills did Sunday with not only untimely penalties but also avoidable ones. Tom Brady’s record against the Buffalo Bills is 26 – 3 and so you’d think the team would know better than to commit penalties that extend Patriots drives and allow Brady to remain on the field.

If you want to read more about the Bills penalties, check out our detailed article about each one.

More from BuffaLowDown

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from Buffalo Bills Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Buffalo Bills

National Football League