Instant Takeaways From Patriots' 24-21 Loss to Bills
The losing streak has been extended to four games, and the New England Patriots' season is on the verge of collapse.
New England lost to Buffalo on the Bills' home turf for the first time in eight years, putting them 3.5 games back of first place in the AFC East. The Patriots' streak of 11 consecutive division titles is all but out of reach, and Tuesday's trade deadline could bring further changes.
Regardless of what lies ahead, it's time to break down the biggest stories that came out of Sunday's near-comeback victory.
Patriots, Newton Still Can't Finish
New England has played three one-possession games in the last six weeks, and it has lost them all.
The worst part is that the offense has had the ball with a chance to win in all three cases.
The goal line stop against Seattle and fourth down incompletion against Denver came with New England down by five and six points, respectively. Sunday against the Bills, however, the Patriots were in field goal position and only needed three points to force overtime.
Instead, Cam Newton coughed up the ball on a run up the left side, and the game was over.
It doesn't take away from Newton's solid day on the ground, as he finished with 54 yards on nine carries, but his inability to make the big plays when it matters most is the reason New England is sitting at 2-5 instead of 5-2.
J.C. Jackson is the New No. 1 Corner
Stephon Gilmore missed Sunday's game with a knee injury, and he may have made his final appearance in a Patriots uniform.
The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was hardly missed in Orchard Park, mostly thanks to Jackson.
The secondary as a whole held Josh Allen to a season-low 65.5 passer rating and his first performance with a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2020.
Jackson's pick in the waning minutes of the first half was his league-leading fourth of the season, 12th of his 36-game career, and it gave the Patriots good enough field position to drive and get a field goal before time expired. Jackson was covering Stefon Diggs on that play, as he was for most of the game, which shows how much Bill Belichick and the coaching staff trust the young defensive back.
The third-year player out of Maryland was also in coverage on the Bills' third down incompletion in the end zone with 4:16 left in the game.
While the Patriots were unable to capitalize on that stop, it still showed that Jackson has what it takes to be a reliable No. 1 corner in the NFL, whether Gilmore is alongside him or not.
Run Defense Exposed Early and Often
The Bills rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown on seven carries on their first drive of the game, and the ground-and-pound attack didn't stop there.
Buffalo opened up the second half with 34 yards and a touchdown on four carries, and totaled another 77 yards on the ground in the rest of the second half. By the end of the game, the Bills had rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns, with Devin Singletary, Zack Moss and Josh Allen all chipping in on the success.
After letting up 197 yards and four rushing touchdowns against San Francisco a week ago, it has become clear that New England's run defense is a liability.
Second-Year Playmakers Stand Out
Jakobi Meyers had been on the field for just 22 offensive snaps through six weeks this season.
After playing 79 percent of snaps and racked up 60 yards on four catches last week, Meyers led all Patriots receivers with 10 targets, six receptions and 58 yards against Buffalo on Sunday. He also had two first down receptions wiped out by penalties on the offensive line, meaning he was involved on even more plays than the stat sheet shows.
Damien Harris also broke the 100-yard mark for the second time in four games, and his yards per attempt figure now sits at 5.7 on the season. After facing a crowded backfield and injuries for his first season-and-a-half in Foxboro, Harris is establishing himself as the go-to ball-carrier in the backfield – his 16 carries accounted for 59.3 percent of the running back touches on Sunday.
A lot has been made out of the Patriots' lack of young, athletic talent at the skill positions in recent weeks, but Meyers and Harris are proving there is some potential at those positions moving forward.
