Buffalo Bills studs and duds after losing shot at AFC East
By Randy Gurzi
Stud: John Brown
With the game tied in the third quarter, Buffalo needed something to happen on offense. They had been stagnant for the majority of the game but then John Brown ended up finding some space to run.
Brown got past former Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was expecting safety help. With no one there to play him deep, Smoke Brown ended up catching a deep pass from Josh Allen and took it 53-yards to the house. It was his first — and only — catch of the game and proved to be a vital one. Too bad the team couldn’t capitalize on it and pull out the win.
Dud: Lorenzo Alexander
Lorenzo Alexander was beaten pretty badly on the Patriots first touchdown by tight end Matt LaCosse. On a first-and-goal, LaCosse ended up in one-on-one coverage with LaCosse and never even turned to look for the ball. He ended up not even being able to contest the pass, which wasn’t as accurate as Brady would have liked.
Had the veteran tracked the ball, he might have been able to break up the pass. Instead, it gave the lead to New England as they went up 7-3.
Alexander ended up with seven tackles on the game but this wasn’t his best game. Then again, the same could have been said of many of the Bills defenders as missed tackles and open receivers on third down plagued them in this one.