New England’s O-line did not allow Tom Brady to be sacked even once and surrendered just eight total pressures on 34 drop-backs for a disruption rate of 23.5%. The Patriots’ offensive line appears to be trending in the right direction, and the pass protection is further proof of that: while the unit repeatedly performed well in run blocking since the bye week and had a strong day against Buffalo’s talented defensive front, its pass protection is especially encouraging. The numbers are not necessarily bad for the in-season acquisition but there is definitely room for improvement. While Josh Allen generally only targeted his pass catchers when they were at least somewhat open, Tom Brady put more trust in his receivers to make plays even with defenders close by - with mixed results: while Benjamin Watson caught both of the balls thrown his way, and Julian Edelman went five-of-six for 72 yards, Mohamed Sanu caught only three passes for 24 on five targets. Whether it is Matt LaCosse catching his first touchdown pass in a Patriots uniform, Rex Burkhead tying his season-highs in both catches and receiving yards, or the two rookie receivers contributing in their limited roles the team’s skill position players generally performed well in the passing game and appeared to develop some nice rapport with Tom Brady - something that has not always been the case over the last couple of weeks. New England’s offense had a good day, and the aerial attack played a big role in it as well. All in all, the ground game - from the backs to the blockers up front - performed well and also contributed to the Patriots controlling the rhythm of the game. Led by Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead, New England averaged 4.4 yards on its 33 carries and scored the eventual game-winning touchdown when Burkhead found the end zone from one yard out. The Bills field one of the best defenses in the NFL, but the Patriots were able to exploit its biggest weakness: stopping the run. If Brady and New England’s offense play like this moving forward, they can definitely make some noise in the postseason. While only going deep once all day, the future Hall of Famer was very good in the short and intermediate area of the field which helped the Patriots string positive plays together and march the football down the field. All in all, he completed 78.8% of his passes for 271 yards and a score. Tom Brady, meanwhile, played one of his best games of the season and looked noticeably more confident in the pocket than he had over the last few weeks. An up-and-down day for an up-and-down quarterback. That being said, the second-year passer was also inaccurate on numerous occasions and struggled throwing to his right. He completed two deep pass attempts that had a major impact on the game - a 33-yarder to Dawson Knox that set up a touchdown near the end of the first half, the other a 53-yard touchdown to John Brown - and also found success in the short and intermediate range. Josh Allen played a mostly solid game against the Patriots’ outstanding secondary. With that being said, let’s dig a little deeper into the advanced statistics to find out. Considering the opponent, the New England Patriots might just have played one of their best games of the season in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills: the offense moved the football well against the number two scoring defense in the NFL, while the defense made the crucial stops when it had to to preserve the 24-17 victory.
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