The New England Patriots blew a 21-point lead to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, finishing the final 34 minutes of the game by being outscored 35-10. The defense allowed four second-half touchdowns, the offense had just two first downs, and the special teams had by far their worst day.
It's hard to point to one group specifically and blame them for the reason they lost; it was a team effort.
Former center David Andrews still has faith the Patriots can bounce back, as they are 11-3 on the year and have played some very good football. This week, they'll face off against the 7-7 Ravens. While it may not sound like a tough task, the Patriots are underdogs for a reason.
The Ravens are 6-2 in their last 8 games, and just shut out a Joe Burrow-led Bengals squad 24-0. Derrick Henry also had his first hundred-yard game in a month.
The Ravens are playing for their playoff lives, while New England clinches the playoffs with a win. Andrews cites one key tenet of the game that New England must hone to secure a win and playoff berth against the Ravens: discipline.
David Andrews emphasizes the importance of discipline against Ravens
The Patriots' offensive line has been their most questioned unit this season, and those questions continued after Will Campbell went down with an MCL sprain. Vederian Lowe has done an excellent job filling in, but was one of two linemen to be penalized against the Bills on Sunday.
On 3rd & 10, Lowe was called for a false start, and Mike Onwenu was flagged for holding, which moved the offense back to 3rd & 25. A deep pass to Mack Hollins was intercepted that down.
Other than that interception, which effectively worked as an arm punt, the offense showed sound discipline. Defensively, they struggled to contain the run. Milton Williams and Robert Spillane did not play, and each is a huge loss in their own right, but the team needs to be better in run force overall.
Williams will not play, and Spillane's foot injury may be more serious than expected, given the signing of Chad Muma and the addition of Amari Gainer to the practice squad.
Discipline will be key to containing Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, the key facets of the Ravens' offense. Their point differential in games that Lamar Jackson plays in when Henry rushes for 100+ yards is +52. The team is 3-1 and averages 28.8 points per game, which would slot them at 6th in the NFL. They average 22.0 across the other ten games, which would slot them 21st.
Discipline in terms of avoiding penalties and stopping the run will be crucial for New England to beat a hungry Ravens team desperate for a chance to win the AFC North. If the Patriots were to win, they would clinch their first playoff berth since 2021 and would be in the driver's seat to win the AFC East for the first time since 2019.