Bills vs. Patriots Report Card

The Buffalo Bills lost 38-7 against the New England Patriots, so there were obviously not many bright spots in the game.

Running Offense: B

The Bills lone bright spot would be the running game, and it’s not that bright. The Bills managed 110 rushing yards for an average of 4.1 yards a carry. If they can average 4.1 yards a carry all the time the running game will be successful and possibly open up the passing game. Marshawn Lynch led the Bills with a respectable, but not spectacular, 74 yards on 20 carries. If the passing game ever gets on track it will help the run game become even better.

Passing Offense: D

quarterback J.P. Losman was injured on the first play from scrimmage and he was sacked (and fumbled) on the third play. Rookie quarterback Trent Edwards came in and led an 80 yard touchdown drive on his first series. If not for that first series this would definitely have been a F. Edwards threw for 55 yards on that drive but finished the game with only 97 yards on 10-of-20 attempts. The passing game was abysmal to say the least and will have to show drastic improvement to compete in the upcoming games.

Run Defense: D

The Bills defense allowed Laurence Maroney to rush for 103 yards on only 19 carries and they allowed 177 yards in total. The patriots averaged 4.7 yards a carry, a total that is unacceptable in the NFL. The injuries have decimated the linebacking corp. and Paul Posluzsny became the latest victim when he broke his forearm and was placed on injured reserve.

Pass Defense: F

As if it could worse for the Bills defense the passing game allowed that to happen. The defense allowed Tom Brady to throw for 311 yards and the Patriots averaged 10.1 yards per pass attempt. That is quite possibly the most ridiculous stat I’ve seen in my entire life. The Bills pass defense was non-existent, which again starts with putting pressure on the quarterback. The Bills have not been able to put pressure on the quarterback in any of the three games they’ve played all season.

Special Teams: C-

The special teams is usually an area where the Bills excel but this week was different. The Bills were missing kick returner Terrance Mcgee and Josh Scobey was average in replacing him. The Bills were obviously not impressed with scobey because he was released this week to add defensive depth. The Bills coverage team also allowed Wes Welker to average 24 yards a return on three punt returns. a staggering total considering that 8 yards/return is considered a good number.