Bills take on the Patriots in Highmark Stadium, 1pm kickoff
A COLUMN by Chuck Pollock, Senior Sports Writer, photo from the Buffalo Bills
Last season, after a 1-2 start, the New England Patriots, became the talk of the National Football League.
They went on to win 16 of the next 17 games and didn’t lose again until a 29-13 defeat by Seattle in Super Bowl 60.
However, since coach Bill Belichick left after the 2022 season and without quarterback Tom Brady, the Pats went 16-35 in those three campaigns.
But, suddenly, last year, coach Mike Vrabel teamed with QB Drake Maye to make New England one of the elite NFL teams.
But this season, the Patriots have staggered to a 1-2 start, beating the Jets (20-3), but losing to the Jaguars, 35-6, and Seahawks 13-10.
That said, Sunday at 1 o’clock, New England will meet the 3-0 Bills at Highmark Stadium (CBS-TV, Bills Radio Network). And the Pats are getting a degree of respect from bookmakers as Las Vegas has Buffalo — wins over Houston (0-3), Detroit (2-1), and the L.A. Chargers (0-3) — listed as only a 3-point favorite.
MEANWHILE, Maye is off to an horrendous start with one touchdown pass, six interceptions and a lost fumble. A season after leading the league in passer rating (113.5), completion percentage (72), QB win percentage (.800) and third in passing TDs (31), he has fallen apart, logging a pathetic 58.6 passer rating and a league-worst 28.8% on third down.
“It’s disappointing,” Maye said. “The ball starts rolling … we can’t get out of our own way and I can’t get out of my own way personally. I’ve got to look at myself and take this as a turning point. We’ve got to realize that what we’re doing offensively is unacceptable. It’s been unacceptable for three weeks. So I’ve got to start with myself, I’ve got to lead these guys and we’ve got to get back after it.”
OF COURSE, New England must deal with the league leader in sacks on Sunday afternoon.
Bills’ edge rusher Greg Rousseau, the first-round pick in the 2021 draft, has six sacks, two each in the first three games, an accomplishment that only Mark Gastineau and Kevin Greene achieved.
But oddlly, Rousseau’s focus is elsewhere.
“We’re stopping the run,” he said. “Last year, real pass-rush opportunities felt like they barely came up. This year, it’s been different. We have to keep that going. It’s good for everybody, not just me.
“It’s good for our defense to be in those one-dimensional situations … second- and third-and longs, that’s how you win games.”
And first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard admitted, “It’s not like we’re giving up a bunch of explosives. We’re giving up some leaky yards. There’s a little bit of a trust element to me that we’re missing right now of a guy trying to maybe do too much and pops (an opening) and the ball hits there, or just trusting that the edge is going to be set, that he can just run through and go make a tackle.”
BUT DESPITE the Pats’ early-season offensive woes, they come into Orchard Park with a blitz-happy defense.
“They make life extremely hard for you, especially running the ball,” Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen said. “(They) give a lot of different blitz looks on your passing downs, especially on third-and-medium and third-and-long. We have to try to find everything we can in the film (room).
“Each game has its own different flow, and just because they’ve been blitzing doesn’t mean they will, doesn’t mean they won’t. It’s kind of feeling to see what they’re going to do to us and just trying to adjust accordingly.”
Will New England shower Allen with blitzes?
“That’s for them to decide,” Bills first-year head coach Joe Brady said.. “It’s for us to be able to execute with whatever the play is. If they want to play man, they want to blitz, they want to play zone, we have to be able to execute.
“We know they have the ability to do it all, (but) anytime you play a guy like Josh Allen, you’re not going to get exactly what they’ve shown on tape. So, you have to be ready for it.”
And Allen feels he is.
“Generally, defenses, when they do blitz, there is more area, more space for your receivers and tight ends,” he said. “Especially if you can get it protected, or at least know where your problems are and have answers to those problems. (It) creates a real advantage for the offense, in my opinion. But again, if you’re not tuned in to what’s going on, and you slide it the wrong way, and you’ve got pressure right away … that’s no fun for any quarterback in the league.”
INJURIES:
Bills: wide receiver Keon Coleman (ankle), defensive back Jordan Hancock (hamstring), wide receiver D.J. Moore (shoulder) and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders (illness) all missed practice later in the week. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver (hip) and guard Ar’maj Reed Adams were both limited in practice.
Patriots: cornerback Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), defensive tackle Christian Barmore (shoulder) and tackle Morgan Moses (foot) all did not practice late in the week.
WEATHER: Temperature in the low ’60s, 20% chance of rain.
POLLOCK’S PICK: Bills 20, Patriots 13
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
