Bills get the job done without Miller and secure first divisional win in week 13
The Buffalo Bills traveled to New England in week 13 of the National Football League season and faced the reeling Patriots on Thursday, Dec. 1. The Bills were sitting at an impressive 8-3 for the year, but were in a tie for first in the American Football Conference East division as a result of being winless against their division so far this season. They came into the game straight off of two solid performances in Detroit, albeit against mediocre Browns and Lions squads. The Patriots sat at 6-5 before this matchup with Buffalo, good for last in the division, but looked to bounce back while harming the Bills’ grand playoff aspirations.
The big news before the game was the move to place star pass-rusher Von Miller on injured reserve after he suffered a knee injury versus the Lions. Bills’ management chose to place Miller on the IR, where he is forced to sit out a total of four games and recover instead of rushing him back to the field. The hope is that Miller will be able to contribute to the team come playoff time—Miller will be eligible to return in week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football on Jan. 2.
The Bills started the game somewhat slowly, with short passes resulting in a 49-yard field goal from kicker Tyler Bass to put them up early. The game acted as a return to form for quarterback Josh Allen, who had struggled to play through a nagging elbow injury over the previous few weeks.
The Patriots responded with their only worthwhile drive of the game, a quick 75-yards that ended with a 48-yard passing touchdown. New England’s Marcus Jones caught the touchdown on his first offensive snap of the season. The score gave the Patriots their only lead in a game during which they were dominated from the get-go.
A 28-yard rush by emerging rookie running back James Cook put the Bills right back in the red zone before the second quarter began. On the first play of the second frame, Allen hurled an 8-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to star receiver Stefon Diggs. This was Diggs’ tenth score of the year and tied his career-high set last season.
After a quick three-and-out by the Patriots, the Bills put together a 14-play drive that lasted almost eight minutes. The long drive was the first of multiple put together by the offense, as they ended the game with almost double the time of possession as the Patriots. The drives were dominated by the stellar run committee made up of Cook and starter Devin Singletary. The drive ended with a miraculous running throw by Allen who avoided the New England defender and sideline by mere inches before jumping and throwing across his body into the endzone. The ball was caught by receiver Gabe Davis and put the team up by ten.
Later in the second quarter, an unfortunate offensive holding penalty by Buffalo brought back a would-be 41-yard touchdown connection between Allen and Diggs. The ankle injury to starting offensive lineman Dion Dawkins was felt later in the drive, as his backup allowed Allen to be sacked and fumble the ball, giving the ball back to New England with 1:11 left in the first half.
The Patriots were unable to take advantage of the misstep; however, as quarterback Mac Jones brought the team downfield before the clock wound down, kicker Nick Folk attempted a field goal but hit the crossbar, leaving the team down by ten going into the locker rooms.
Towards the end of the third quarter, the Bills put together a near nine-minute drive highlighted by two 19-yard Diggs receptions before Devin Singletary brought the ball into the endzone with a one-yard rush. A garbage-time 39-yard field goal by the Patriots wrapped up the action in the fourth quarter as the Bills pulled out the 24-10 victory.
The team’s offense regained their early-season success while the defense did their job and proved that they can hold the fort until Von Miller gets back. The Bills will look to avenge their loss to the Jets last month at home in week 14 in a divisional game with big playoff implications on Sunday, Dec. 11.