The New England Patriots had a golden opportunity to take control of the AFC East - and they let it slip right through their fingers. Up 21-0 at home against the Buffalo Bills, they looked like a team ready to make a statement. Instead, they collapsed in the second half, giving up 35 points and falling 35-31 in a game that may come back to haunt them.
Former head coach Rex Ryan, who knows a thing or two about facing the Patriots from his days with the Jets and Bills, didn’t hold back when talking about what went wrong. On ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown,” Ryan laid the blame squarely at the feet of head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“I’ve been hyping Vrabel up as Coach of the Year. Josh McDaniels, I’ve praised him too. But that coaching staff let the team down last week - 100 percent,” Ryan said.
It’s hard to argue with him. The Patriots came out of the gate firing, dominating the ground game and building a three-touchdown lead.
TreVeyon Henderson broke off a 65-yard touchdown run, and New England piled up 246 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. But when it mattered most, the offense stalled.
After building that early cushion, the Patriots had four offensive possessions that totaled just 15 yards on 17 plays. That’s not just a cold streak - that’s an offense completely losing its identity. And Ryan pointed to one stat that really tells the story: just three rushing attempts in the second half.
“Three rushing attempts in the second half when you’re up by 20-something-nothing? That’s absolutely absurd,” Ryan said.
“Josh McDaniels knows better. So does Vrabel.
They’ve got to be kicking themselves after giving this thing away.”
Ryan’s frustration is rooted in what the Patriots were doing well - and then inexplicably abandoned. The ground game was working.
The Bills had no answers for it early on. But penalties and sacks kept pushing the Patriots behind the sticks, and instead of leaning into the run game that had built them the lead, they got away from it.
That opened the door for Josh Allen, who took full advantage.
Allen led five straight touchdown drives in the second half, completely flipping the game on its head. Once the Patriots’ offense sputtered, the defense couldn’t hold up under the pressure. And with New England’s inability to control the clock or sustain drives, Allen had all the time - and momentum - he needed.
Now, the Patriots have to regroup quickly. Up next: a Sunday night showdown against the Baltimore Ravens, another team with AFC playoff aspirations and another franchise Ryan knows well.
And the matchup isn’t getting any easier. New England will be without two key defenders in Milton Williams and Robert Spillane III.
“They haven’t been worth a darn at stopping the run since [Williams] left,” Ryan noted. “And now Spillane’s out, so I expect a ton of Derrick Henry.”
That’s not exactly comforting news for a Patriots defense that just got steamrolled in the second half by Buffalo. Henry’s a different kind of challenge - a power back who can wear down even the most disciplined front sevens. Without Williams and Spillane, New England’s run defense is going to be tested early and often.
There’s still time for the Patriots to right the ship, but the margin for error is shrinking. The AFC playoff picture is tight, and a blown 21-point lead in December is the kind of loss that lingers. For Vrabel and McDaniels, the next few weeks aren’t just about game-planning - they’re about proving they can steer this team through adversity and back into contention.