Nobody has had an easier job against the New England Patriots than Buffalo’s punter
2 min read
If the New England Patriots are going to beat the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, they are going to have to do something they have not done in each of their past two head-to-head meetings.
Make Buffalo’s punter actually see the field.
Not only have the Patriots lost their past two games against Buffalo, but they have also been dominated so soundly that they have not even forced the Bills to punt the football in either game.
Buffalo did not punt in its 47-17 drubbing of the Patriots in last year’s Wild Card round playoff game and did not punt in their second regular season meeting last December, a 33-21 Bills win. Seeing an NFL team going an entire game without a punt is rare enough. But seeing it happen in two consecutive games against the same opponent? That is the very definition of dominance.
You have to go all the way back to the third quarter of their Dec. 6 game a year ago, a streak of nine-plus quarters, to find the last time the Patriots forced a Buffalo punt.
That was New England’s 14-10 win in Buffalo where it only allowed Mac Jones to throw three passes the entire game.
What is even more baffling is just how little resistance New England’s defense has provided against Josh Allen and the Bills offense.
Since Buffalo’s last punt against New England, the Bills have had 20 offensive possessions. Three of those possessions ended in kneel downs before the half or the end of the game.
The other drives have consisted of 11 touchdowns, three field goals, one missed field goal, and two turnovers on downs (one of those coming at the end of New England’s 14-10 win three meetings ago).
Those possessions have averaged more than nine plays per drive, including eight possessions of 10 plays or more.
Even more impressive: Excluding the kneel-down possessions, Buffalo’s offense has scored touchdowns on nine consecutive drives against the Patriots’ defense.
That sort of streak cannot continue on Thursday.
There are no « easy » jobs in the NFL. But when it comes to being Buffalo’s punter, one can objectively say they would have won those two games with literally any random person occupying that position.
Because they simply have not needed it.
