‘”Officials up here, they always find a way to get it right for the Patriots. That’s not the reason why we lost, but is sure would have helped out in the game. It’s just crazy man, because you put so much into it, and then you get robbed like that. C’mon. That’s a touchdown.”‘
Archives for December 25, 2017
Report card: Buffalo Bills fall in Week 16 to New England Patriots
‘There were a few pass plays where it appeared Tom Brady could hold onto the ball until Christmas day. Buffalo’s inability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been an issue all season. Kyle Williams and Jerry Hughes both recorded sacks on Sunday, but Brady had too much time to throw most of the game. Adding a pass-rusher needs to be a priority for the Bills in the offseason. The Bills’ run defense wasn’t much better on Sunday. New England rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries (5.1 YPC).’
AFC playoff picture 2017: Where do Buffalo Bills stand after Week 16?
‘As it stands, the Titans have the edge in a three-way tie because of their conference record. The Chargers have the edge over the Bills because of the head-to-head matchup. At this point, the playoff scenarios for the Bills are somewhat simple. They will make the playoffs with…’
Patriots: “We obviously put a big emphasis when we play Tyrod on trying to keep him in the pocket”
‘“I think all week, with Taylor being in our division and seeing him, we obviously put a big emphasis when we play him on trying to keep him in the pocket,” safety Devin McCourty said. “We know the hardest thing is going to be actually executing and getting him on the ground. I thought that’s what we did a great job with today. If one guy missed, we had another guy coming, just surrounding him as much as possible when he did try to escape the pocket. So, that was just great because it was a total team effort. It wasn’t like we had one guy to spy on him or something all game to stop him. It was just a group of guys just making sure.”’
5 takeaways from the Bills loss to the Patriots
‘4th down questions: The Bills were both aggressive and wimpy on fourth down against the Patriots.’
Locker room reaction: McCoy, Hughes lead displeasure for Bills; Pats’ Gilmore says Buffalo’s lucky it wasn’t worse
‘“It is what it is. We had our opportunities to score in that position. Obviously, any time you leave it up to the officials and New York it could go either way. You never know what they’re looking at. It could look different to somebody completely else. We have to make it black and white, fine, where it’s, ‘Okay, it’s a touchdown’ or ‘We stopped them on fourth down.’ We have to do our job to where it’s for sure in our favor.”’
Report card: Bills lose 37-16 to Patriots
‘Kyle Williams had a sack which, due to his circumstances pondering retirement, was nice to see, and Jerry Hughes added another. However, those were the only two times Tom Brady was hit on the day; he had plenty of time to pass most of the day. Dion Lewis had 129 yards, a career-high, while as a team, the Pats had 5.1 yards-per-carry.’
Buffalo Bills Week 16 Report Card: Jordan Poyer scores on pick six, but Bills lose 37-16 to Patriots
‘The numbers are deceiving. Tyrod Taylor had 281 passing yards against the Patriots. But he missed some throws and was sacked six times. The lack of receiving depth hurts him. He had a good rapport with Kelvin Benjamin and Deonte Thompson against the Patriots, but that’s not nearly enough. Zay Jones, a rookie, has been a nonfactor, and tight end Charles Clay has been inconsistent. It’s tough to blame those players for the weak passing attack when Taylor misses as many throws as he does. The fact the Bills didn’t score an offensive touchdown in this game is on Taylor. He is the leader of this offense. The passing attack needs to do more.’
Patriots catch a break when Bills’ TD is overturned on review
‘It looked as if Benjamin made an incredible catch in the back of the end zone with Stephon Gilmore in tight coverage. The wide receicer stretched out to grab the ball and appeared to drag his toes inbounds.’
Clear and obvious: Overturned TD catch was a turning point
‘Overturning Kelvin Benjamin’s touchdown just before halftime Sunday was not the right call. Not because Benjamin definitively caught the ball and tapped two feet down, but because no one really knows what happened.’
Borges: Replay reversal baffles many, but strengthens belief that winners get the calls
‘Game referee Craig Wrolstad’s crew signaled touchdown. No one complained but Riveron and York decided if the Bills had the lead there had to be something fishy so they stopped the game and began searching for video evidence to overturn the call. It took about a day and a half to find it but as the Bills’ waited, 11-year veteran Richie Incognito knew what was coming. “You can tell,” Incognito said. “They start looking at the left foot and the right hand and his fingernails and you know it’s not going to go your way.”’
Kelvin Benjamin overturned touchdown: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots react to controversial call
‘”Oh, definitely, because the ref said touchdown, so they have to have hard, concrete evidence to overturn it. I didn’t think that was enough. But, like I said, we can’t do anything about it. We’re just players.”‘
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots TE, did not know why Kelvin Benjamin’s catch was not a TD
‘”It was a good play by him the way he extended,” Gronkowski said. “I saw it. What was the ruling and why wasn’t it a catch? I didn’t get that. … He was juggling? I guess if he was juggling, then yeah. He made a nice play.”‘
Angry Buffalo Bills fans the latest to say NFL is rigged for Patriots after Kelvin Benjamin TD overturned
‘The controversial call (and lack of explanation) has Bills fans up in arms, and in conspiracy mode…’.
Patriots notes: Another favorable review overturns Bills touchdown
‘“It looked like his foot just didn’t drag,” safety Devin McCourty said. “I think the thing on the turf is always when the foot drags you can see pebbles. So I’m probably a little bit biased, but they weren’t too happy. We had a conversation (with some Bills) before they made that call, but it turned out for the best — right?”’