The Patriots were a fumble away from beating Buffalo and keeping their season and playoff hopes alive.
But they fell short, a running theme of their 2020 season.
In Week 2, they were a goal-line play away from beating Seattle.
In Week 4, they were a competent quarterback away from possibly beating Kansas City.
In Week 5, they couldn’t convert with a chance late in the game to beat Denver.
And now, this crusher: Cam Newton had the ball punched out with the Patriots driving for the winning score deep in Bills territory.
That’s three devastating losses on the final drive. And while they clearly hold the league lead in moral victories, given all the twists and turns and adversity faced with players opting out, COVID-19 positive tests, injuries, etc., in the final analysis, moral victories mean nothing.
Close-but-no-cigar doesn’t cut it in the NFL.
The Patriots haven’t been in this state since 2002, the last time they lost four straight early in the year.
The likelihood of them making the playoffs at this point have fallen into the slim to none category, with it being closer to none.
There won’t be an AFC East title. And as much as the Bills didn’t impress during their 24-21 victory Sunday, it’s hard imagining them blowing a three and a half game lead on the Patriots at this stage.
There’s just so much to unpack with this game, and the season as a whole.
It starts with Newton.
Tom Brady’s successor hasn’t been able to get the Patriots over the hump in tight games. In a make-it-or-break it year for him, it’s been especially frustrating.
After a rough first half, Newton was able to turn it around, and valiantly so. He put the team on his back, and started making plays again with his arms and his legs, in former NFL MVP-type fashion.
All of a sudden, he was clicking, and the running game was finally moving the chains.
Newton was at his best. The Patriots were rolling, bad weather conditions and all. But then, as has been the case all year, he failed to deliver.
Game over. At 2-5, kiss it goodbye. The season’s pretty much over. And so might Newton’s attempt to resurrect a career.
After the fumble, he sat dejectedly and appeared inconsolable on the sideline. Asked if it affected him more, given how the Patriots were moving, and had a chance, Newton provided an answer that summed up his performance all season.
“It affects you more that I’m still jeopardizing this team’s success because of my lackluster performance, and protecting the football,” he said. “Coach trusts me with the ball in my hands. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I just have to do a better job protecting it.”
And yet, it’s fair to say the coaching staff didn’t appear to trust him with the ball in his hands for much of the game, calling an ultra-conservative game during many third-down situations.
Why else would you opt to kick a field goal from the 15-yard-line, with a third-and-1 with 12 seconds still to play? Even with no timeouts, the Patriots still had another shot at the end zone.
Perhaps flashbacks to the Chiefs game and Brian Hoyer forced Belichick to go the safe route and take the three points.
Belichick didn’t think it was worth the chance to make another play, or take a shot at the end zone.
“I felt like it was probably a low-percentage play,” said Belichick.
Whatever the case, it’s Week 8, and there’s still a half a season to play, with nowhere to go.
Their margin for error has been so slim in games. Whether dealing with injuries (Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Stephon Gilmore were among the absentees Sunday), penalties (while they were the least penalized team heading in, the five they had for 35 yards were killers) and curious coaching decisions, it seems like anything and everything has conspired against wins.
They were also done in by a defense that once again couldn’t stop the run, with the Bills gaining 190 yards on the ground.
That being said, what will Belichick’s approach be going forward?
Will the Patriots sell off parts before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline? Stephon Gilmore didn’t play, kept out for injury reasons. He’s their best trade chip, so it’ll be interesting to see how Belichick proceeds.
At the end of the game, though, Belichick didn’t appear to be conceding anything.
Asked about his quarterback, heading into the future, Belichick once again firmly stated Newton was his quarterback.
At some point, one might think the coaching staff needs to see Jarrett Stidham get a chance to start a game, and see if the second-year quarterback is better than he’s shown coming on in relief.
Belichick, however, resorted to his usual “play better, coach better” mantra when discussing his team, and falling short against the Bills.
The Patriots were certainly competitive in the game, and fought with their lives on the line. But as Belichick said: “Not the results we’re looking for.”
The players did their best to put a positive spin on it. They’ve gotten used to the drill. But it’s becoming old even for them.
“Losing is never easy, especially a situation like that,” said running back Damien Harris, who had his second 100-yard rushing game. “We fought hard … obviously, we didn’t play well enough to win. We shot ourselves in the foot, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. Just back to work tomorrow.”
As Harris said, his individual stats mean nothing unless there’s a ‘W’ attached. The losing close games has become a bit of a broken record. And that’s put them closer to the bottom of the league, rather than their familiar spot at the top.
“It’s good to start trending in the right direction, but again … this league is about winning,” said Harris. “It’s not about moral victories, it’s not about trends … it’s not what we’re here to do. We’re here to win.”
Something that seemed so easy in years past, has become so difficult in 2020.
