The New England Patriots are the AFC East champions for the 11th straight season following their 24-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 16.
The matchup was everything we had anticipated. Playing in Foxboro against a Bills team that has been shaped to beat the reigning Super Bowl champions, the game came down to the final series, with New England’s defense closing it out. However, for the first time in a while, the Patriots’ offense was firing on all cylinders for a full four quarters. Aside from a lone turnover on the first offensive series, New England’s offense was consistent, explosive and overall effective.
New England controlled the clock by running the ball early and often, while also using its running backs in the passing game. The backfield combined for 143 rushing yards and one score. Sony Michel had a season-high 96 rushing yards on 21 totes, and Rex Burkhead had a career-high 77 receiving yards along with a touchdown.
In a game where Julian Edelman missed a quarter of action because of a head injury, it was the trio of Michel, Burkhead and James White that got the job done in both phases of the offense. It was their efforts, along with some creativity by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, that got many of New England’s pass-catchers involved (nine players caught a pass in Week 16) and had the Bills’ defense constantly guessing. This allowed New England to rack up 414 yards of total offense, going 7-for-14 on third down, and dominate the time of possession (38 minutes compared to 21 minutes for Bills’ offense).
“This time of the year you have to be able to run the football, you can’t be one dimensional,” said White during his postgame press conference. “When you get in the red zone and you don’t have to always throw it in and you can run it in, that’s always a big bonus. The offensive line did a great job blocking, tight ends, (Elandon Roberts), the receivers, they opened up lanes for Sony (Michel), Rex (Burkhead) and myself. I think everybody tried to run hard.”
A win over Buffalo speaks loudly to what the Patriots can do moving forward. Scoring 24 points, all from the offense, against a top-tier defense shows that Tom Brady and the offense actually have what it takes to be productive and creative enough to keep themselves in a game without their defense forcing a single turnover. That’s something they haven’t shown over the past five weeks.
“In a good offense everyone has to produce,” Brady said during his postgame press conference. “If you can get both tight ends involved, and all receivers involved, and all the backs involved, it’s hard to defend. We did a good job of that today. You have to make them defend everybody, and a lot of guys came up big. It was a big game for us. We needed it. Happy to come from behind in the fourth (quarter) and win.”
Heading into their season finale against the Dolphins, the Patriots have one big weight lifted off their back thanks to a win over Buffalo that clinched the division title. Now, it’s about finishing strong and clinching a first-round playoff bye. With Marcus Cannon (ankle) and Jason McCourty (groin) unable to finish the Saturday afternoon game, Brady still tending to his right elbow, and Edelman having just about every injury under the sun, New England desperately needs a week of rest. Getting a win at home against the last-place team in the division should do the trick.
