This one was on the defense folks

[Wayne Cubed]

I just think the defensive game plan sucked. No way should Trent Murphy be seeing the majority of DE snaps. 
 

Also, think the Pats just had a better offensive game plan.

[Utah John]

Part of me wants to believe the Bills didn't go all out from a formation or play calling perspective.  Winning the AFCE was going to take Miami beating the Pats next week, which was never likely.  So if the Bils did have some offensive or defensive wrinkles ready, they kept them under wraps until playoffs start.

 

But no scheme or formation calls for defenders to miss tackles, or for Allen to overthrow Knox over and over.  That's all on the players.

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

37 minutes ago, BillsBlue said:

We were gashed by the run and on the "extension of the run game" being screens/flats to their rb's.

Can you imagine how good this offense would be if Dabol could get get this team to execute screens and call RB flares?  We are literally the worst team in the NFL at executing a damn screen play - it’s maddening!

[gjv001]

I was surprised by the Pats continuous winning of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Perhaps all the national attention and accolades was a distraction for some of the Bills. 

[Big Gun]

Our defense gave up 414 yards, 6.1 per play, NE was 7-14 on 3rd down 1-2 on 4th down, NE also had an 11 play 7:26 minute drive for 75 yards, a 17 play 8:58 minute drive for 81 yards, an 11 play 77 yards 6:40 minute drive and total time of possession 38:52 and people want to blame Allen and the offense for this loss when they had the lead late then drove the field on the last drive to try and tie it because the defense sucked again letting NE get the lead. Really!

[billsfan_34]

We put up 17- defense got gashed but they have had no support from the other side.

[oldmanfan]

5 minutes ago, gjv001 said:

I was surprised by the Pats continuous winning of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Perhaps all the national attention and accolades was a distraction for some of the Bills. 

There you go.  Since the first ever played football game you win up front.

[Wayne Cubed]

I know people think the defense was on the field too long but I mean, look at NE** 2nd and 3rd drive:

 

2nd Drive - 11 plays; 7:26

3rd Drive - 17 plays; 8:11(started inside the 1)

 

At that point the Bills had had the ball twice scored 3 points and went 3 and out. The defense had been on the field for over a a quarter of football. If they were tired, it was their own doing.

[GunnerBill]

17 minutes ago, Wayne Cubed said:

C’mon Gunner, this is a bit simplistic. In reality it’s a bit of both. The offense put 3 points on the bored then the defense collapsed on NE 2nd drive. Allowed a nearly 8 min drive, putting themselves in a lot of 3rd and short situations. Making for easy conversions.

 

The defense after 3 New England drives, including a turnover, had been on the field for 18 mins! You don’t think that’s a little bit of their own fault? They allowed a 17 play drive, that started inside the 1, that almost turned into 7 but fortunately they held them to 3. They could not get off the field on 3rd down.

 

It is a bit their own fault for sure. But you can't play offense that way and beat New England. 

[Wayne Cubed]

Just now, GunnerBill said:

 

It is a bit their own fault for sure. But you can't play offense that way and beat New England. 

But by the time the offense got the ball for their 3rd time the defense had been on the field for 18 mins plus. They scored 3 and had a 3 and out in their first two. Can’t do much if you don’t have the ball. 
 

Now should the offense have done more on their 3rd and then 4th possession? Sure but if the defense was tired at that point, they only had themselves to blame. What they allowed for 3rd down situations was awful.

[GunnerBill]

6 minutes ago, Wayne Cubed said:

But by the time the offense got the ball for their 3rd time the defense had been on the field for 18 mins plus. They scored 3 and had a 3 and out in their first two. Can’t do much if you don’t have the ball. 
 

Now should the offense have done more on their 3rd and then 4th possession? Sure but if the defense was tired at that point, they only had themselves to blame. What they allowed for 3rd down situations was awful.

 

But they tightened up in the middle of the game. They had Brady in a run of 3 from 12 either side of half time. When the Bills went ahead they went right out there and got the Pats off the field in a 3 and out. It was at that point that they needed some help. They got none. 

[Wayne Cubed]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

But they tightened up in the middle of the game. They had Brady in a run of 3 from 12 either side of half time. When the Bills went ahead they went right out there and got the Pats off the field in a 3 and out. It was at that point that they needed some help. They got none. 

Did they tighten up or did the Pats make mistakes? On consecutive series they got OPI which put them in long down and distances. They were also without Edelman. This is where the Bills defense thrives. What was missing was making those plays on 1st/2nd downs. Too many times the Patriots were in 3rd and manageable.

 

Too much Trent Murphy and the run defense was awful.

[whatdrought]

I said it in the postgame thread, and I’ll say it again:

 

for better or worse, the identity of this team is that the defense holds the offense in check, gets off the field, and lets the offense have opportunities. The offense then makes two-three big plays a game and that’s enough.

 

the offense did it’s job yesterday; the defense fell down like a house or cards.

 

You can debate if our identity is correct or what it should be,  but you can’t debate that the defense got out manned on every drive. 

[Tesla03]

1 hour ago, Magox said:

It definitely was on the defense.   They seemed to have Vanilla pass rush packages.   Very few blitzes or stunts.  Of course NE’s effective as on the ground helped that happen but even on some obvious passing downs the Bills weren’t able to bring the heat.   Brady was way too comfortable back there.

 

Also the run defense was steam rolled, way too many missed tackles.   A disappointing defensive performance.   
 

No doubt NE deserves a lot of credit, they finally played a game this year with an identity and their run game kept the defense so off balance that the play action killed them.   Hats off to their scheme and that was on the coaches.    But all the missed tackles is totally on the players and was very uncharacteristic from this defense.

 

I don’t believe we will see that happen again over the next few games for the Bills.

 

maybe McD knew the division was a crapshoot. risking showing blitz packages they have been saving up for the playoffs. 

[Luka]

The offense was facing the #1 defense in the league. Scored more points than they typically allow. Brady was allegedly facing the #2 (or #3) defense in the league and marched up and down the field at will. And with how little the offense saw the ball in the first half it's almost a miracle they somehow scored 17 points.

[Bookie Man]

Defense didn't quite break, but it was very, very bendy. 

[zonabb]

Nope. It's on Allen. Be honest, you can't rely on the D every single game and when your QB can't hit Knox in the end zone on the same throw the GOAT did moments earlier to tie the game, that's not the D's fault, it's Allen's. Can't blame the D every time they lose to shield the offense from criticism. The offense is putrid more often than not. The running game is weak. The OL is unathletic, leaving this team unable to ever run a screen, which you watch other teams like, oh I don't know, every team yesterday. And the WR position needs a legit lengthy receiver. But all of that doesn't overcome the reality that execution by Allen cost them the game, period. Too many here won't criticize the kid. He's shown major improvement in a lot of areas, but those 3-4 misses a game will continue to come back and haunt them and the Knox miss, that a high schooler can make, cost them a tie and possible win.

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

Was it? The offense couldn't sustain a drive 3:15 on our very first drive after the turnover was our longest drive of the day until the last one. You cn't have your defense on the field 2/3s of the game against NE and expect to win. D has some blame to take. But the O was inept outside two magic throws. 

 

We were never up 17-10. We were down 13-10 and up 17-13. Then the D got a 3 and out immediately. Then our O went 3 and out. Then they went down and we held them inside the redzone to a FG. 17-16. Then our O went 3 and out again. And finally the bend and break broke having been on the field 38 of the 54 minutes of the game played to that point. 

 

Buffalo D can't get off the filed. Not enough 3 and outs. 

[SCBills]

We’re one offseason away from having a complete team, by design.  You’ll see the finishing touches to the offense this offseason for a 3rd year Josh Allen to operate with.  
 

The O is what it is right now.  They had 17 points but within those 17 points, gave us the lead mid-3rd quarter, were 8 yards away from a tie at the end, all the while, never having the ball as our defense was consistently abused for time consuming drives.  
 

Our defense is elite.  By design.  Up there with NE, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.  Heavily invested in with both draft picks and $$$.   They should never have a game like what we just saw.  That was the Pats telling our defense that they still own us and our defense doing nothing about it. 
 

It wasn’t just the 24 points.   It was the fact our defense could never get off the field.  In a game of two elite defenses vs two average offenses, that TOP was absolutely absurd. 
 

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by SCBills

[Bangarang]

It was a total team loss. The defense was gashed and the offense was inept.