New England Patriots 14-10 Buffalo Bills: Mac Jones attempts just three passes as Patriots beat Bills in tough conditions
Mac Jones finishes two of three passing for 19 yards as the New England Patriots turn to a ground game led by Damien Harris' 111 rushing yards and 64-yard TD to prevail in difficult conditions against the Buffalo Bills, for whom Josh Allen finishes 15 of 30 for 145 yards and one TD.
Tuesday 7 December 2021 09:31, UK
Damien Harris scored on a 64-yard run in blustery conditions in which Mac Jones attempted just three passes as the New England Patriots shored up their familiar place atop the AFC with a 14-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
Story of the Game
Defensive back Miles Bryant sealed the victory by batting down Josh Allen's pass at the goal line with Buffalo facing fourth-and-14 at New England's 18 with 1:55 remaining.
The Patriots leaned heavily on their ground game, out-gaining the Bills 229 to 99 in yards rushing, with the cold, windy snowy night negating Allen's strong-armed passing attack.
New England (9-4) won their seventh consecutive game, improved to 6-0 on the road this season and now have a two-win edge over the Bills (7-5) in the AFC East standings.
Harris finished with a season-best 111 yards rushing and opened the scoring on New England's ninth play from scrimmage. Facing third-and-5, the running back burst through a big gap up the middle and was untouched on his way to the end zone.
With the Patriots facing winds gusting up to 40 mph, coach Bill Belichick succeeded on a two-point conversion as Brandon Bolden scored just inside the left pylon. The Patriots never trailed, with Nick Folk hitting two field goals - both with the wind at his back - from 34 and 41 yards.
Each team capitalised on the other's mistakes in trading touchdowns in the opening quarter, Harris' touchdown coming three plays after New England's Lawrence Guy recovered Matt Breidas' fumble at the Patriots 31.
Buffalo responded on its next possession which had been extended after N'Keal Harry slipped and saw Matt Haack's punt glance off his helmet, with Siran Neal recovering the ball at New England's 14. Allen hit Gabriel Davis on a slant route on the next play to cut the lead to 8-7.
The Bills blew several scoring chances by managing a touchdown and field goal on four trips inside the Patriots 20. That included Tyler Bass missing a 34-yard attempt wide right into the wind midway through the fourth quarter.
The elements were at times overwhelming, including a wind-chill that dropped the temperature into the mid-20s, with one of Jake Bailey's punts for the Patriots going sideways into the wind for 15 yards. Members of ESPN's pre-game broadcast crew were blown off their chairs along the sideline, and the orange flag was ripped off the top of the left upright in the east end of the stadium.
Stats leaders
Patriots
- Passing: Mac Jones, 2/3, 19 yards
- Rushing: Damien Harris, 10 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
- Rhamondre Stevenson, 24 carries, 78 yards
- Receiving: Jonnu Smith, one catch, 12 yards
Bills
- Passing: Josh Allen, 15/30, 145 yards, 1 TD
- Rushing: Josh Allen, six carries, 39 yards
- Receiving: Stefon Diggs, four catches, 51 yards
The Bills defense continued to be susceptible against the run. The 222 yards rushing allowed on Monday came two weeks after Jonathan Taylor scored five times and gained 185 yards rushing in the Indianapolis Colts 41-15 win at Buffalo.
Jones was relegated to handoff duties in attempting one pass, a 12-yard completion in which tight end Jonnu Smith tipped the ball to himself, in the first half. According to Elias Sports, the Patriots had the fewest yards passing and became the first team to attempt just one pass in the first half since at least 1978.
He finished two of three for 19 yards in becoming the NFL's third quarterback to win nine games in his rookie season, joining Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, and Dallas Dak Prescott in 2016. He also joined Roethlisberger and Prescott in becoming the NFL's third rookie QB to win his first six road starts.
The Bills have lost four of their past seven, and have not won consecutive games since capping a 4-0 run spanning September 19 to October 10. Though the two teams meet once more in Foxborough on December 26, Buffalo's path to repeat as division champions, never mind earning a third straight postseason berth, is suddenly muddied. The AFC's wild-card race now features four teams with seven wins, with the Bills also dropping to 5-5 against AFC opponents and 3-1 against division opponents.
Scoring Summary
What's Next?
The Patriots enter a bye week before returning to face the Indianapolis Colts (7-6) on December 18, while the Bills travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3) on Sunday, with Tom Brady 32-3 against Buffalo in what is an NFL record for most career wins by a quarterback against one opponent.
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