The Buffalo Bills overcame quite a lot after a very traumatic week for the organization, the players, the staff, and the fan base to beat the New England Patriots 35-23. In the process, Buffalo secured the #2 seed in the AFC, swept the season series against the Pats, and eliminated a bitter rival all in one fell swoop.
It was a very emotional day in Orchard Park for everyone but the continued improvement of Damar Hamlin allowed them to get back to work with his blessing and do what needed to be done. There was a lot of tension in the air and I’m sure there were plenty of nerves on the sideline and in the stands, but that tension erupted in joyous celebration just a few seconds into the game.
On the game’s opening kickoff, Nyheim Hines took the game’s opening kickoff 96 yards to the house and the players and the fans were able to let off a collective sigh of relief and celebration. You couldn’t have scripted a better start to the game, but there was still a lot of football left to be played.
| Drive # | Start Pos. | 1st Play | Comp. | Pass ATT | Pass YDS | Sacks | Sack YDS | Scram. | Scram. YDS | Carries | Rush YDS | Plays | Outcome | Score | TOP | 1st Down Runs | Penalties | Pen. Yards |
| 1 | Own 32 | Pass | 3 | 4 | 14 | 1 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Punt | 7-0 | 0:02:40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Own 25 | Run | 5 | 8 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 13 | TD – Knox | 14-7 | 0:06:30 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Own 34 | pass | 3 | 4 | 12 | 1 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | Punt | 14-7 | 0:03:28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Own 28 | run | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 38 | 11 | INT | 14-14 | 0:03:29 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| HALF | Avg. Own 29.8 | 2/2 | 12 | 20 | 96 | 2 | -17 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 52 | 35 | 1 Drive for Score | 14-14 | 0:16:07 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Own 2 | run | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | Fumble Lost | 14-14 | 0:00:52 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Own 19 | pass | 3 | 5 | 79 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | TD – Brown | 28-17 | 0:03:02 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Own 40 | pass | 3 | 3 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | TD – Diggs | 35-23 | 0:02:46 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 8 | Own 39 | pass | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | Punt | 35-23 | 0:01:27 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | NE 31 | run | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 5 | QB Kneel | 35-23 | 0:02:42 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2nd HALF | Avg. Own 33.8 | 2/3 | 7 | 11 | 158 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 23 | 23 | 2 TD drives | 35-23 | 0:10:49 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
Even in a game where there was a lot on the line and the Bills faced in-game adversity, they still scored 35 points against a good defense and showed good balance on offense in the process, and you know I love balance.
I have done the data work over the course of the last two seasons and what I see is that the Bills play their best football, offensively, when they run the ball at least 35% of the time. This one landed them right around that number with a 37.9% mark. Even though they didn’t crack 100 yards on the ground, Devin Singletary and James Cook combined for 74 yards on 16 carries. That’s 4.6 per clip and in a vacuum, I will take that every time out.
Part of the reason that offense totals were a little lower than some may have anticipated was that Hines decided that the offense didn’t need to do all the work as he ran a second kickoff back for a TD in the second half. You also have to consider that the Bills just killed the clock on their final possession. Had the game been closer, those complaining about the offense may see things differently.
Josh Allen finished the day 19/31 passing with 3 TDs and the one red zone interception to go along with 252 net passing yards. Considering they were playing a defense that is good and knows them very well, Allen played remarkably well under the circumstances.
The Bills will stay in Orchard Park as the #2 seed and welcome the Miami Dolphins for their third matchup on the season. There were similar circumstances last year as the Bills faced a division opponent, who they split with during the regular season, in the first round of the playoffs and we all remember how that went.
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