In winning their 12th game of the year, the Bills became the first AFC East team to sweep a season series against the Patriots since 2000, when the Jets and Dolphins turned the trick. Buffalo hadn’t done it since 1999.
According to Elias, New England’s 19-year run was the longest since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The Rams (1970-80) and Cowboys (1971-81) had the next longest at 11 straight seasons.
While Bills quarterback Josh Allen continued to build his case for MVP consideration, Newton continued his late-season struggles as the Patriots lost their third straight game and are now guaranteed to finish under .500 for the first time since they went 5-11 in 2000, Bill Belichick’s first year at the helm.
Allen completed 27 of 36 passes for 320 yards and 4 touchdowns before giving way to Matt Barkley. Newton hit just 5 of 10 throws for 34 yards before he was lifted for Jarrett Stidham.
Newton’s yardage is the lowest for a Patriots starting QB since Scott Secules had 16 in 1993, according to profootballreference.com.
New England (6-9) struggled in all areas. The offense couldn’t establish any rhythm, the defense couldn’t stop Allen, and even the normally sterling special teams units had some hiccups.
“We just weren’t able to do much in any phase of the game, they outplayed us all the way across the board. Outplayed us and outcoached us,” said Belichick. “They did a good job. They’re a very good football team. We can see why they’re the AFC East champions this year. They deserve to be.”
The Patriots started the way they wanted, by putting up points on their first drive, but like so many times this season, it could have been more.
After Sony Michel ripped off some nice runs to suck the Bills’ defense closer to the box, Newton rolled right and found a wide-open Damiere Byrd inside the 5-yard line, but he inexplicably dropped the sure touchdown and New England had to settle for Nick Folk’s 45-yard field goal – his 26th straight — and a 3-0 lead.
The Bills (12-3) answered with a 10-play stampede but also could only come away with 3 points (Tyler Bass’s 22-yarder) thanks to Devin McCourty’s third-down takedown of Devin Singletary.
New England went three-and-out on its next drive, with rookie Devin Asiasi dropping a pass and the Bills dropping Newton for 13-yard sack on back-to-back plays.
The next drive was an emotional killer for the home team.
After it appeared the defense forced a three-and-out, upback Jaquan Johnson took a direct snap and the southpaw completed a 13-yard to Siran Neal pass to execute a flawless fake punt to extend the drive.
Newton’s longest pass went for 9 yards.
The Patriots forced another fourth down moments later but a 22-yard scramble by Allen extended the drive again. After both Taiwan Jones (laser to his chest) and Dawson Knox (laser off his fingers) dropped sure TD passes from Allen, Zack Moss ran it in from 5 yards for a 10-3 lead the Bills would never relinquish.
Back-to-back big runs from Michel (21 yards) and J.J. Taylor (28 yards) fueled a 90-yard answer drive for the New England that Newton finished with 9-yard TD run. Folk sailed the PAT wide left, however, and Buffalo kept its lead at 10-9.
Newton’s 12th rushing TD matched the franchise mark for rushing TDs by a QB set by Steve Grogan in 1976.
The Bills extended their lead to 17-9 when Allen hit an absolutely wide-open Lee Smith — the tight end was a 2011 Patriots fifth-round draft pick — for a 4-yard TD.
Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll then broke out the quick-strike offense on the next possession, with Allen capping a three-play drive by hitting Stefon Diggs with a 50-yard catch-and-run TD.
Diggs had been kept under wraps early by J.C. Jackson, but the NFL’s leading receiver simply ran away from the cornerback on a crossing route, catching Allen’s pass in stride and turning on the jets for a 24-9 advantage.
The onslaught continued in the third quarter.
Buffalo opened the second half with a methodical eight-play, 75-yard drive that had a familiar ending: Allen hitting Diggs with an 18-yard TD toss to up the lead to 31-9. In celebration, Diggs (9 catches, 145 yards) launched the ball out of the stadium toward Walpole.
Newton got one more series — another three-and-out — before Stidham got the nod.
“We weren’t playing very well, [so] it was an opportunity to give [Stidham] a chance to play," said Belichick. “Cam did a good job for us. I mean, that wasn’t the problem. We were just not very competitive in the beginning."
Belichick said the passing game struggles were multifold.
“Protection, dropped balls, lack of good execution," he said. “And [the Bills] played well defensively with their pressure. They covered well."
The second-year signal-caller hit just 4 of 11 passes for 44 yards and never threatened to get his club in scoring position.
Allen, meanwhile, completed his night by hitting Diggs again — this time from 8 yards out — for the 38-9 final.
Belichick said no decisions have been made about next week’s starting quarterback.
Newton reiterated a familiar refrain about his need to get better — starting with practice.
“It’s extremely frustrating, knowing what you’re capable of, having belief in yourself, [but] it’s just not showing when it counts the most," Newton said.
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Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
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December 29, 2020 at 11:11AM
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Bills do a number on Patriots to complete sweep, first AFC East rival to do that since 2000 - The Boston Globe
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