3 killer first half mistakes that doomed Patriots in loss vs Bills

2. N’Keal Harry drop leads to Mac Jones INT

At this point, Patriots fans are fed up with N’Keal Harry the wide receiver.

For all the good work Harry does as a blocker in the running game, he simply doesn’t deserve any snaps as a pass-catcher. With Agholor out due to a concussion and Bourne banged up after not practicing all week, however, New England was forced to call Harry’s number as a receiver against the Bills.

That proved to be costly pretty quickly, as Harry dropped a surefire first down midway through the second quarter with the Pats trailing 10-7. On the very next snap, a Jones pass attempt, also intended for Harry, was tipped and picked off.

Had Harry came down with the initial pass, New England would’ve been set up near midfield with some wind in their sails. Instead, Jones forced a throw into a tight window that resulted in a back-breaking turnover.

The Bills didn’t capitalize in the form of points, but they put together a commanding drive that stalled out on a 4th and 1 from the Patriots’ one-yard line.

In essence, Harry’s mistake was inches away from costing his team seven points. Regardless, it still flipped the field in Buffalo’s favor and zapped all momentum the Pats mustered on their previous drive trailing by just three points.

Patriots fans have set a low bar for Harry since he was drafted No. 32 overall back in 2019. However, even his biggest cynics would have expected him to haul in this WIDE open pass to move the chains on Sunday.