Game Anatomy - a brief infusion of facts with commentary

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Anatomy of the game. My comments in italics. I did this because of all the talk going around, misinformation (successive #s of 3 and outs, when TT threw his interceptions etc.)

 

Bills #1: solid drive. TD

Pats #1: 3 and out after incomplete 25 yd pass.

Bills #2: 3 and out. 10 yard penalty on the return, 1st and 10 from the 28.

Pats #2: Brady passes of 16, 36, 7, and 8 yards. TD. Pats overcome Brady sack on 1st and 15 (due to Gronk false start penalty).

This highlights my concerns about the Rex D. It's a gambling D, willing to give up the big play in exchange for QB pressure and run D. It also forshadowed the Pats plans for the day: "you're giving us the deep pass and the quick slant, we'll take 'em"

Bills #3: 10 yard penalty on the return, 1st and 10 from the 10 yard line. 3 and out, including Taylor sack at the 1 yd line and Colton penalty.

Taylor was put into a difficult position for an inexperienced QB. He's working from his 10 yd line against a team that is stacking the box. He doesn't want to give up the pick-6 or any INT which gives the Pats a short field, and he doesn't, but he takes a sack in the process. He'll learn. I assign blame to our coaches who did not appear to have an effective answer to the Pats stacking the box, when we knew all week that's what they'd try. Then, unfortunately our ST unit gives Brady the ball at our on 13 yd line anyway.

Pats #3 TD after starting from the Bills 13 yard line after ST allows 28 yd return and 14 yd penalty from 2 unnecessary roughness calls.

One question I have is why the unnecessary roughness calls? They shouldn't allow themselves to be provoked, but with that big return - was there uncalled tripping or holding? Or was it just bad play all around on our ST? Whatever - the end result was to accomplish what Taylor was apparently trying to avoid, giving Brady the ball down in our red zone.

Bills #4: Interception of Taylor pass to Clay on 3rd and 9 after 2 ineffective handoffs to McCoy on 1st and 2nd down. 9 yard return to Buff 30.

Pats #4: TD after starting from the Bills 30 yard line after INT

At this point, the Bills are in a 14 point hole, Brady is moving the ball at will, and our offense has no answer to their defensive adjustments.

Bills #5: 3 and out after 9 yard pass, -1 run, and -8 sack.

Pats #5 Checkdown pass at LOS followed by 10 yard RAC. FUMBLE followed by 15 yd penalty for unnecessary roughness on A Williams. Williams goes ballistic, starts fighting his own coaches, and is sent to his room. Question: what made Wiliams so hot? He obviously felt there was something unfair about the penalty.

Bills #6. 3 and out after 7 yd gain on 2 plays, incomplete pass that would have been negated by penalty on Miller.

Pats #6. 4 and out. Run stuffed and Brady pressured into incomplete throw by Mario Wiliams.

Bills #7. 22 yd pass negated by 5 yd illegal formation penalty on Mulligan. Circus catch by Watkins on tipped ball. Pass interference on NE gives us the ball at NE 9; TD

Missed extra point.

Pats #7 Field goal after ugly drive. Beautiful 3rd-and-8 sack on Brady negated by holding penalty on Darby, giving the Pats a 1st down. 40 yd pass. 12 yd pass.

Bills #8. 3 1st downs followed by interception of pass to Watkins with 16 seconds in half, giving NE the ball with 5 seconds left. I do not blame Taylor for this INT; there is no risk to trying to force something when you're down by 11 points with so little time left on the clock.

Pats #8: 5 seconds left; kneel down.

 

OK, at this point let's look at the big picture. Fourteen of the Patriots points were enabled by handing them the ball in scoring position due to porous ST play and penalties We have 34 yds in penalties on ST, which materially affected the game by pinning us deep and setting up the events that gift-wrapped the ball for the Pats. 2 sacks of Brady and numerous pressures - but one sack negated by holding penalty. Pats consistently moving the ball on the quick slant followed by YAC and the occasional deep bomb. Taylor is allowing himself to be sacked but I'm not gonna judge until I look at the all-22.

 

IMO, the coaches did not have a very good plan to handle us starting a drive on our 10 yd line against the Pats stacking the box and perhaps using disguised coverages to confuse Taylor and make him question what he was seeing. And it was a no-brainer that the Pats were going to stack the box. It's pretty clear that we're beating ourselves in a lot of ways. We also are giving up the very stuff that Brady does best on D - the quick slant or dump off pass that goes for YAC. There was a lot of pressure on Brady and 2 sacks, but it doesn't matter if you break up 2 passes and let a 3rd one rip - they still move the chains.

 

I'll be back later with the 2nd half.

 

 

 

 

 

[Coach Tuesday]

Also on that third drive, Harvin shouldn't have taken it out of th endzone on the kickoff. They were penalized on the return (which only made it to the 20 anyhow).

[plenzmd1]

Also on that third drive, Harvin shouldn't have taken it out of th endzone on the kickoff. They were penalized on the return (which only made it to the 20 anyhow).

Disagree..think that's the right play there.

[Freddie's Dead]

 

Pats #5 Checkdown pass at LOS followed by 10 yard RAC. FUMBLE followed by 15 yd penalty for unnecessary roughness on A Williams. Williams goes ballistic, starts fighting his own coaches, and is sent to his room. Question: what made Wiliams so hot? He obviously felt there was something unfair about the penalty.

Great post! You can see this clearly on the replay. Watch the bottom of the screen, and you see AW drill that little !@#$er Edelman well after Graham has run out of bounds. This was a good call, and clearly shows that AW at that point in the game was mentally out of it.