‘Cornerback E.J. Gaines, however, was ruled inactive for the game with a knee injury.’
Archives for December 2017
Controversial replay overturns apparent Kelvin Benjamin touchdown
‘Benjamin told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio that in the locker room at halftime, “players were saying only the Patriots would get that kind of call.”‘
Patriots get another favorable ruling on TD catch and everyone is very angry
‘Don’t read the replies there unless you love reading swear words. The folks who saw that tweet weren’t the only ones who disagreed with the call. There were plenty of folks who believed the Pats were getting a good deal on the play in question.’
Twitter Reacts to Controversial Overturned Bills Touchdown Against Patriots
‘The standard has changed. There is no way the NFL can say that replay reversals are based on “clear and obvious” after that Bills TD overturned.’
Was the NFL right to overturn Bills WR Benjamin’s apparent TD catch?
‘However, according to Fox Sports NFL rules analyst and former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira there’s no way the call should’ve been reversed because there wasn’t enough definitive evidence from replay to overturn the ruling on the field.’
Patriots outlast the Bills 37-16
‘Even with the loss, the Bills are still alive in the playoff hunt. They will need to win next week against Miami, and get some help on the out of town scoreboard. One way they can get in is, beat Miami and get a loss from the Ravens against the Bengals.’
Bills do the expected, but I’m still angry
‘Let’s move on to Dennison. First off, I need to point out a statistic: The Bills offense has not scored a touchdown in the second half of the last five games. One wonders what Dennison and the offensive staff are doing at halftime and what kind of adjustments they are making in game because it’s producing nothing.’
NFL moves Bills at Dolphins Week 17 game to 4:25 p.m.
‘Two other games that have implications for the Bills’ playoff chances were also moved: Cincinnati at Baltimore and Jacksonville at Tennessee. In order to make the postseaon, the Bills need to win their game at Miami then have either the Ravens lose to the Bengals or have both the Titans lose to the Jaguars AND the Chargers lose to the Raiders. The Raiders at Chargers game was already scheduled for 4:25 p.m.’
Capaccio: Bills-Patriots: Arrow Up/Arrow Down
‘Head coach Sean McDermott elected to try for a 50-yard field goal on 4th-and-1 from the Patriots’ 32-yard line, down a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Kicker Stephen Hauschka missed it, giving New England the ball at their own 40-yard line. They essentially put the game away with a touchdown seven plays later. But McDermott’s decision made it easier for that to happen. He had been aggressive and went for it on fourth down earlier in the game when it was tied. Even though it was still early in the fourth quarter, the offense had yet to score a touchdown and it was clear they were going to need one at some point. They needed one yard to gain. A field goal from 50 yards out in cold weather is tough for any kicker. And even if Hauschka had made it they would still be down four, and still needing a touchdown at some point.’
Bills run out of gas in 2nd half, fall to Patriots 37-16
‘The Bills failed to score an offensive touchdown, their only six points coming from Hyde’s pick-six.’
Joe B: 7 observations from Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots (12/24/17)
‘If the team can’t shake off the feeling that they were slighted the last time around, that’s at least a small percentage that isn’t being attributed to the major task at hand. McDermott, although he’s mad now, has to nip this in the bud immediately.’
Bills fall short in New England with 37-16 loss
‘Tyrod Taylor tossed for 281 yards but was sacked five times by the Patriots.’
Bills drop frustrating game against Patriots
‘For the 14th time since the building opened, the Bills came up short against their AFC rival 37-16 on Sunday, but the final score fails to tell the whole story. The game was tied at 16 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter before the Patriots pulled away.’
Pitoniak: Upon further review, Bills still can’t beat Patriots, need help for playoffs
But as rancid as the reversal was, it didn’t cost the Bills the game. The harsh reality is that despite a spirited effort for nearly three quarters Sunday in Foxborough, they proved once more they aren’t talented enough to go toe-to-toe with their AFC East rivals for a full 60 minutes. The Patriots scored 24 points in the final 25 minutes. Their 37-16 victory marked the 14th time in the past 16 games they’ve beaten the Bills at Gillette Stadium.’
A narrow, but still very plausible path to the playoffs for the Buffalo Bills
‘There are two ways in which Buffalo can end the 17-year playoff drought. Both involve beating the Dolphins in the week 17 finale.’