ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — With a long-term vision in mind, the Patriots delivered a seemingly perfect loss at Highmark Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
They fought like hell in an entertainingly weird game, but ultimately couldn’t overcome four first half turnovers, and fell to the Bills, 27-21. With the loss, they dropped to 4-12 on the season, and thanks to an Arizona upset, they’re right back in the mix for the No. 2 overall pick in next spring’s 2024 NFL Draft.
They could land a franchise-altering player there, so all things considered, Sunday’s short-term pain was best for the long-term health of the franchise — especially given the current team’s effort. Here are seven takeaways from a strange afternoon in Buffalo:
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1. Fought to the end
Bill Belichick’s team is unquestionably mentally tough.
Though the Patriots defense was repeatedly hamstrung with short fields — more on that in a moment — they wouldn’t give in to Josh Allen and company. Ultimately, they held the high-profile quarterback to 15 of 30 for 169 yards. Allen didn’t throw a touchdown pass and was picked off by Alex Austin. With nothing to play for, the Patriots could have easily mailed it in, but it’s become obvious that’s not in their DNA.
“No one lost belief. No one lost faith. Obviously, no one quit,” David Andrews said. “Hell, it could have been a lot worse than it was… we just kept fighting, we kept pushing each other, and kept supporting each other.”
2. Turnovers are killer
The Patriots turned the ball over four times in the first half, including a pick-six. The fact that they weren’t blown out is a testament to how well the defense played.
“Obviously, a terrible first 20 minutes,” Belichick said.
Through 16 games, the Patriots have a -10 turnover differential, which is the worst mark in the AFC and 31st in the league. Their roster simply isn’t talented enough to lose the turnover battle this consistently.
3. Zappe resilient though
Despite three interceptions — one of which was clearly Jalen Reagor’s fault — Bailey Zappe’s confidence didn’t waiver.
“It’s hard, but at that moment in time you’re kinda like, hey we’ve got a long game to go. We’ve got a lot more drives. A lot more opportunities to go down there and score. So flush it. Forget about it,” Zappe said. “You’re going to have turnovers. You’re going to throw three interceptions in a game, but it’s just how you respond. How you come back that next series.”
After throwing a pick-six, Zappe dusted himself off and engineered a touchdown drive to get some life back into his offense. The second-year quarterback scrambled for an 18-yard scored and spiked the ball wildly in celebration. Despite the abysmal start, he finished 16 of 26 for 209 yards.
4. Another Ryland miss
Chad Ryland couldn’t build any momentum off his 56-yard game winner in Denver.
The embattled rookie kicker missed a 47-yard field goal, which is his seventh miss from inside of 50 yards this season. He pushed another 53-yarder wide right, too, but the play was blown dead because the Patriots kicking team took a delay of game. From there, Belichick opted to punt instead.
5. Brown a healthy scratch
Trent Brown was a surprising healthy scratch, with Vederian Lowe playing the entire game in his place at left tackle. In less surprising news, Belichick didn’t dive into the benching after the loss.
“We played the players we wanted to play,” he said.
Since Brown was scratched, a pair of reports have emerged saying the team is dissatisfied with his motivation and effort. The 30-year-old is set to hit free agency once again this March.
6. Patriots start fast
For the second season in a row, the Patriots and Bills have started with an opening kickoff touchdown in their matchup at Highmark Stadium. This time it was Jalen Reagor with the 98-yard house call that was beautifully executed by New England’s return team.
“We’re just all doing our one-11th, and then I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do, which is running fast and, as we call it, running through the smoke,” Reagor said.
7. Good news for draft pick
With the loss, the Patriots wound up in the No. 3 overall slot for the 2024 NFL Draft after the late window of afternoon games. There will be plenty of toggling in the coming days that could move them up to No. 2 overall, as Washington currently owns a razor thin strength of schedule tiebreaker.
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