Another Routine New England Win Over the Bills
It's certainly not what head coach Sean McDermott considers part of "the process", but it's what he says is a learning experience. What else can you do but learn from the lessons of a 23-3 shellacking at the hands of what has been one of the best teams in the NFL for years.
The Bills were the first team this season to hold the New England Patriots to under 13 points in the first half. The Bills trailed only 9-3 at the half, but the Patriots made amends by scoring touchdowns on the first two drives of the third quarter for a 23-3 lead. The Patriots cruised the rest of the way to their 8th straight win.
Tom Brady had a typical Tom Brady day completing 21 of 30 passes for 258 yards. His favorite target was Rob Gronkowski who caught 9 passes for 147 yards.
It was a costly loss for the Bills losing Tyrod Taylor to a knee injury injured on the first play of the game, but continued to play until he just couldn't. Nathan Peterman replaced him and didn't do much.
Things looked bright for the Bills on their first drive reaching the New England 6-yard line before Taylor tossed an interception to end that threat. The Patriots drove 59 yards the other way for a field goal to take the lead and never looked back.
The Bills also lost first round draft pick Tre-Davious White to a head injury when he intercepted the ball late in the fourth quarter, then Gronkowski did a pile-drive move on him as he laid on the ground out of bounds. He should be hearing from the NFL office on that one for a possible suspension.
After it was all sorted out the Bills ended up with a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for bumping an official giving the Bills the ball 1st and 25. Nothing came of that series and the ball went right back to the Patriots.
One of the only bright spots on a dismal day for the Bills was LeSean McCoy who ran for 93 yards on 15 carries.
The Bills have four games left on the season, two at home and two on the road. They host the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.