Somehow, someway, the New England Patriots managed to do the unthinkable by knocking off the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.
Not only did the Patriots upset the odds, but they delivered a crucial blow to a division rival that has big-brothered them for the last two seasons. The win on Sunday put an end to the Patriots’ four-game losing streak to the Bills, while also breathing new life in their season overall.
It was a complete team effort with the defense creating opportunities, the offense putting points on the board and special teams consistently making big plays to put the Patriots in position to pull off the upset.
You won’t find many duds on this list, despite it being far from a perfect game for the Patriots. The defense had some tackling issues, and Kendrick Bourne coughed up a bad fumble. But the team was still able to come away with a big win in the end.
Let’s take a look at the studs and duds of the game:
LB Anfernee Jennings: STUD
Linebacker Anfernee Jennings quietly put together a strong performance in Sunday’s game.
For a guy playing on an expiring contract, he has really stepped up and given the Patriots a reason to consider him as a potential replacement for Josh Uche, if the team ends up swinging a trade before the deadline.
Jennings was helping to provide pressure up front and chasing down run plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Anfernee Jennings TFL! He's played well the past few weeks. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/VipM0XC4G6
— Video from: @TSV__1 (@TSV__1) October 22, 2023
The Patriots defense showed up to play in this game, and Jennings’ ability to generate plays with Uche inactive was a big reason for it.
WR Demario Douglas: STUD
There was a lot of buzz surrounding Patriots rookie receiver Demario Douglas in training camp, and he ended up having his coming-out party on Sunday against the Bills.
He showed off his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands in the short passing game, while also contributing big yards on special teams. For all of the misses Bill Belichick has had at the receiver position, he seemingly hit the jackpot with “Pop” Douglas in the sixth-round.
The Patriots do need to continue amping up his offensive volume, but he finished the game with four catches for 54 yards.
S Jabrill Peppers: STUD
This wasn’t a perfect game for Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers, who missed a key tackle on James Cook that led to the Bills’ first touchdown in the game. But he still did enough to keep himself in the stud category on this list.
For a second straight week, Peppers created a turnover for the Patriots. The only difference this time is he actually registered a turnover on the stat sheet for himself.
Last week, the veteran defensive back delivered a vicious hit on Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, which created a pop-up interception for linebacker Jahlani Tavai. On Sunday, however, he was able to undercut a pass from Josh Allen and snag a leaping takeaway.
PICKING PEPPERS!!@JabrillPeppers | #ForeverNE
📺 on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/3j1nqRNxfR
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 22, 2023
One way to help out a bad offense is to create turnovers and give them a shorter field to work with. Peppers did that for the Patriots against one of the league’s most explosive teams.
P Bryce Baringer: STUD
Patriots punter Bryce Baringer has lived up to the billing as a sixth-round draft pick so far this season. He continued to do so on Sunday by helping the Patriots win the battle of field position with some impressive punts.
One in particular pinned the Bills on their own two-yard line late in the second quarter, denying Josh Allen and the Bills offense an opportunity to put together a late drive before halftime.
Those are the sorts of plays the Patriots need to stay in games against the league’s elite.
QB Mac Jones: STUD
This is the version of Mac Jones the Patriots need.
They need the quarterback that doesn’t force plays and takes what the defense gives him. Jones showed a willingness to give up on plays that weren’t there against the Bills.
A more consistent version of that player, and there never would have been talk of a replacement. Not only did Jones play smarter with the football, but he also stepped up and led the team on a game-winning drive against a likely playoff contender.
It was a huge performance from the third-year quarterback, who somehow managed to outplay Josh Allen in this game.
K Chad Ryland: STUD
The Patriots rookie kicker Chad Ryland was a perfect 3-of-3 when kicking field goals in this game.
Things have been pretty up and down for the fourth-round draft pick special teamer, but he showed consistency and poise for a Patriots team that needed every kick to pull out the victory.
Between Bryce Baringer’s punting success and Ryland’s kicks in this game, it’s safe to say the arrow is trending upwards with the Patriots’ special teamers.
Defensive tackling: DUD
We won’t single any one particular player out because it was pretty bad all around when it came to missed tackles on Sunday. There were multiple plays where a defensive player missed on initial contact and bailed the Bills out on drives that should have ended much earlier.
Myles Bryant, Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers particularly struggled with misses on initial contact.
The Patriots can celebrate this victory, but they also need to clean up some fundamentals ahead of next week’s game against a Miami Dolphins team with multiple players that are dangerous in open space.
Offensive line: STUD
The offensive line showed some fight against the Bills.
This was a game where the unit was obviously tired of being the butt of the offensive joke for the team. Granted, the Bills were down some players on defense, including defensive lineman Ed Oliver, but the Patriots have been ravaged with injuries as well.
Players have been in and out of the lineup with no consistency. However, they had a strong all-around performance on Sunday, which was the catalyst for the overall success of the offense. It’s pretty interesting that the unit magically improved on the same day Patriots Hall of Famer Dante Scarnecchia was in the building.
The former legendary offensive line coach should attend Patriots games more often.
Patriots secondary: STUD
One of the biggest concerns heading into this game was the defensive backfield for the Patriots falling victim to the slew of offensive weapons Josh Allen has at his disposal.
Historically, wide receiver Stefon Diggs has owned the Patriots, but he was held to six catches for 58 yards and one touchdown. Most importantly, the secondary held up strong against the Bills’ other receiving options, such as Gabe Davis, who was held to only one catch for six yards.
J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Myles Bryant have given new life to the injury-riddled unit.
OC Bill O'Brien: STUD
This was a game where Bill O’Brien’s creativity as a play-caller worked wonders against a Bills team that looked confused from the start.
There was a lot of motion before the snap, and O’Brien did a much better job of mixing up the play-calling than he did in last week’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. They leaned on their running game and did a better job of putting the ball in the hands of the few legitimate offensive playmakers that they have on the roster.
The ability to be creative and get the ball out quickly needs to be the strategy moving forward for the Patriots, if they have any hopes of winning more games down the line.
