Instant observations following Patriots' 16-10 Week 4 victory over Bills

Lots of sloppy offensive play and a great special teams play by a 2nd year CB.

In a game that had a lot of sloppy play on both sides of the ball, the New England Patriots squeaked out a 16-10 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. 

Here are some instant observations following the game which game the Patriots sole possession of the AFC East and gave the Bills their first loss of the season.

Defense forces five turnovers in win

Aside from an offensive blundering, New England's defense bailed the offense out with turnovers. 

The Patriots recorded four turnovers, all of which came from interceptions courtesy of JC Jackson (2), Devin McCourty (1), and Jamie Collins (1). They managed to almost lose by the hands of Matt Barkley and Frank Gore, but giving up 10 points and ending the game with an INT makes up for it. 

Through four games, the defense has only given up one touchdown to their opponents. It's imperative that New England's defense continues to play at a high level, especially if the offense continues to struggle because of offensive line play. 

Patriots offense struggled to push ball downfield

On a day when the run game yet again struggled to get going, Tom Brady struggled to push the ball downfield in the passing game as well.

Brady completed just 18-of-39 passes for 150 yards and one interception. Credit to the Bills secondary for blanketing every receiver downfield and not allowing big plays after the catch. The check down game was in full effect for Brady, which is why James White led the team in catches Sunday afternoon. 

With Edelman banged up and Josh Gordon being shadowed by Tre'davious White, the team had no other viable threat to take a short pass for a long gain, let alone a first down. The need for another talented receiver may be a necessity going forward. 

J.C. Jackson was great in different phases of the game

As the No. 4 cornerback on the roster, JC Jackson hasn't had a chance to shine this season like he did last season when he was the starting cornerback opposite of Stephon Gilmore. That changed in Week 4.

Jackson recorded two interceptions on the team's Week 4 win. He also recorded a block punt in the first half which resulted in a special team's touchdown in a game where points came sparingly. 

Jackson's ability despite being buried on the depth chart just shows how amazingly deep the defense is in every facet. An injury or two wouldn't hurt them, as showed in this one when veteran linebacker Dont'a Hightower had to sit out because of a shoulder injury. 

Tackling was an issue, especially when facing Frank Gore

On a day when Josh Allen looked awful, Buffalo was able to stay in the game not just because of strong defensive play, but hard-nosed running by their veteran running back, Frank Gore. 

Gore rushed 17 times for 109 yards in a game where he became the fourth RB in NFL history to surpass 15,000 career rushing yards. He reached that milestone on a 42-yard run in the first half. He bounced off four defenders during the play, which highlighted a tackling issue the Patriots defense had all afternoon. Against players like Gore and rookie tight end Dawson Knox, it took multiple attempts to bring them down, which is uncharacteristic of New England. 

Hopefully it was just a one-game hiccup for a Patriots defense that is typically honed into their fundamentals.