New England Patriots-Buffalo Bills Notebook: Mac Jones Finally Delivers
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots channeled their inner "Rocky Balboa" in their Week 7, 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Much like the beloved titular character of the 1976 classic film — which spawned five sequels and a successful spinoff "Creed" franchise" — the Pats chose to be defined by "how hard they could get hit and keep moving forward."
Down 25-22 with 1:58 left to play and the Patriots at the Buffalo 25-yard line, much-maligned quarterback Mac Jones led his team on an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The Pats starter capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds to play to give New England the win. Jones was 7-of-8 for 70 yards on the drive. Not only did the Patriots snap a four-game losing streak to Buffalo, but they also ended their current three game skid, their longest such streak since 2020.
On the verge of football extinction, New England snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by countering the Bills best comeback effort with one of their own. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of their Week 7 triumph was that it was achieved despite their making their own costly mistakes. In addition to eight penalties for 59 yards, Pats receiver Kendrick Bourne committed a potentially game-clinching fumble with 4:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Yet, the Pats took the hits, kept moving forward ... and will now live to fight for at least one more week. Though it was far from a flawless performance, the Pats had plenty of positives to take from their second win of the season.
Mac Jones Leads Turnaround
Despite looking uncertain and uncomfortable for virtually the entire season to date, Jones turned in his best performance of 2023 by getting back to basics. The 250year-old finished the day going 25-of-30 for 272 yards and two touchdowns and a completion percentage of 83.3 percent — his third career game with a completion percentage of at least 80 percent. Particularly on New England's final series, Jones made faster decisions and was more precise in his pass placement — thanks in part to solid protection from his offensive line.
In order for Jones to neutralize Buffalo’s linebackers and secondary, offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien devised a game plan which allowed him to lean on the running game early to help facilitate play action passes. Though O'Brien typically has a fondness for two-tight-end sets, Jones and the Pats offense wisely mixed in some 11-personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) and utilized the intermediate areas of the field to advance the ball. In fact, the Pats opened their first series in 11-personnel, hitting both Demario Douglas and Tyquan Thornton for short-yardage catches to set up a 14-yard run by Rhamondre Stevenson. The incremental gains eventually set up a 25-yard catch-and -run by tight end Pharaoh Brown. While the drive ended in a field goal, it served as a blueprint for Jones' improvement on offense for much of the day.
Demario Douglas Sparks Offense
While few would blame Jones for resting on his laurels for at least one night, his standout performance on Sunday would not have been possible without rookie Demario Douglas being a key playmaker on offense. Douglas caught four passes for 54 yards, including a 19-yard strike down the seam in the fourth quarter. The Pats sixth-rounder was not only productive as a pass catcher, but he also returned a punt for 25 yards and added a rushing carry for 20 yards.
Still, the Liberty product was most effective out of the slot in short yardage. In order to compensate for the expected height differential with Buffalo's defensive backs, Douglas showed an ability to anticipate his defenders' techniques for attacking him, especially when they played him in soft coverage — a strategy which has served him well back to his college days. Douglas also demonstrated the necessary speed and skill to evade tacklers when he has the ball in his hands in open space. As such, the player affectionately known as "Pop" was essential to helping Jones and the Pats offense put the Bills on their heels early.
Pats Pressure Josh Allen
With linebacker Matthew Judon already on injured reserve, New England's pass rush suffered two additional crushing setbacks earlier this week when Josh Uche (foot) and rookie Keion White (concussion) were ruled out for Sunday's game. As such, it appeared that the Patriots were facing an overwhelming mismatch in trying to keep Bills quarterback Josh Allen off balance.
However, the Pats overcame their roster deficiencies with strong performances from key members of their front seven. New England used big nickel packages featuring Anfernee Jennings at outside linebacker. The Alabama product contributed six tackles (one for loss) while Christian Barmore — a fellow Crimson Tide alum — logged three tackles (one for loss), a pass breakup and combined for a sack, which dropped Allen for a seven-yard loss. Barmore shared the sack with second-year lineman Sam Roberts, the first such credit of his career. In total, New England generated pressures on nearly half of Allen's drop backs [including blitzing him on approximately 43 percent] with a focus on challenging the Buffalo's All-Pro through the middle. The strategy was successful as New England's front seven hurried Allen 18 times.
Onwenu at Right Tackle
Though several of New England's adjustments led to positive results on the field, perhaps the most effective was the team's decision to start offensive lineman Michael Onwenu at right tackle. In light of the Patriots numerous injuries and o-line struggles, the prospect of moving Onwenu back to right tackle has been speculated as of late by both the fans and media. After all, Onwenu played over 600 snaps at right tackle during his rookie season in 2020. Despite starting 2021 as their starting left guard, he played 276 snaps at right tackle, as well.
Onwenu's new assignment turned out to be effective in keeping Buffalo's typically stout pass-rush away from Jones. In fact, the Pats starter was sacked only once by Buffalo safety Jordan Poyer for a four-yard loss. New England also started rookie Sidy Sow at right guard, while Cole Strange returned to the lineup to provide solid protection at left guard. While conventional wisdom would require keeping Onwenu in his new stop -- especially in light of Riley Reiff's return to injured reserve due to a knee injury -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was coy on Onwenu's positional status when asked about it postgame.
"We’ll see," Belichick said. "I’ll talk to Mike about it ... We’ll see how it goes.
Up Next:
The Patriots (2-5) will travel to south to the Sunshine State and a Week 8 matchup with the Miami Dolphins (5-1) at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Hard Rock Stadium.
