Collapse in the second half vs. Bills leave bitter taste in Patriots’ mouths

The stage was set for a blowout. The New England Patriots entered one of the NFL’s most hostile environments as 14.5-point underdogs, missing several starters on defense, having lost four straight and going against one of the hottest teams in football.

And yet they gave Buffalo Bills all they could manage on Sunday. In fact, the game – which ended in a 24-21 Buffalo victory – was there for the taking.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, they were unable to sustain their strong first half play. After the break, they were reduced to a pumpkin, and were subsequently ground to a fine pulp by both bills and their own miscues.

Their first three offensive possessions after halftime were New England’s undoing. Each of them ended with a turnover.

“The mistakes we made in the second half, we can’t have those. The outcome is the result because of that,” running back Antonio Gibson said after the game.

“We ran the ball well, threw it well and got off to a hot start. Came right out in the second half and put the defense in a tough spot after they tied it up,” quarterback Drake Maye added.

After Buffalo tied the game at 14 on its first drive of the third period, the Patriots ran just two plays before a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble gave the ball back to the AFC East champions. Six plays later, the Bills had taken their first lead of the game to officially turn what was once a 14-0 deficit into a 17-14 lead.

New England’s offense responded in style, driving all the way to the Buffalo 16-yard line on its next possession. However, disaster struck again: Maye tried to connect with tight end Austin Hooper in the end zone, but the only player able to make a play on the ball was defensive end Cam Lewis.

The Patriots’ defense held after the interception. Although it gave up 55 yards and allowed Buffalo to use nearly six minutes of playing time along the way, it eventually forced a punt to keep the score within reach.

It took the Patriots all but two plays to change that.

Facing a 2nd and 8 at their own 12-yard line, the Patriots went with a reverse swing pass to Rhamondre Stevenson. The game was doomed from the start: right tackle Demontrey Jacobs delivered an inadequate chip against Greg Rousseau, which in turn allowed him to tie Stevenson after he failed to reel in the short throw; this set the stage for fellow Bills defensive end Taron Johnson to recover what was actually deemed a fumble in the end zone.

The Patriots still had their chances to come back from their 24-14 deficit, but by then the momentum had fully shifted to the Bills. It never returned.

“A tale of two halves,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “Just didn’t come ready to play in the second half. Just turned the ball over. Had a long, good drive, turned the ball over in the red zone; some expensive fines. You play a good football team, you just can’t give them the ball like that, especially in plus territory. It’s a good football team and you just can’t do that kind of thing.”

The Patriots have done “that kind of thing” all year long and as a result entered Week 16 ranked 25th in the NFL with a turnover differential of -7. By comparison, the Bills were tied for the league lead at +18.

Turnovers and an inability to limit self-inflicted mistakes have been big reasons why the two division rivals are on opposite ends of the spectrum this season. And until the Patriots can get rid of schneid in that department, stealing a win against Buffalo — or any team, for that matter — will be a significant challenge.

“It’s really frustrating. Just hurting ourselves right away — the same things repeating,” Drake Maye said.

“It’s so frustrating and I want to keep myself from some anger. It just goes from disappointment at some point to just kind of, you get frustrated, really frustrated.”