It was bound to happen eventually, New England’s luck ran out. Being a Patriots fan myself, I loved seeing my boys prove all of the “experts” wrong by winning without most of the star players. But I guess a 4-0 start was too much to ask for.
For the third week in a row, the Patriots were scheduled to play at home in Gillette Stadium. This time it was against Rex Ryan’s Bills squad. After last week’s shutout against the Texans, it is safe to say that the Pats were feeling pretty confident. Perhaps, maybe a little too confident. I really wanted that 4-0 for Brady’s return, but I’ll take what I can get.
On the first play, Brissett found Edelman for a 90 yard gain. Hogan’s pass interference penalty brought it back, but it showed that the Pats were willing to go for big plays. After that play, 6 of the first 7 New Englad drives consisted of either 4 plays or less, a fumble, or a missed field goal. Sure, expectations for this offense were minimal, but come on. I feel bad for the fans that paid to see their beloved team get shut out at home for the first time ever.
On the other side of the ball, however, the defense did its job. 13 first quarter points is nothing to celebrate, but it could have been worse. Granted they gave up a touchdown on the first drive, but they stood strong after that. This game could have easily been a blowout but the defense stuck to the “bend but don’t break rule” very well.
There is one thing that is worse to me than a New England loss and that is a big Rex Ryan ego. His personal rivalry and trash talk towards my team makes this loss even harder to swallow. Yeah yeah, Ryan earned the win, his defensive scheme actually worked well, blah blah blah. Don’t celebrate too much, Rex. Your worst nightmare is back.
I have to give credit where it is due. This Bills team does not have one of the better records in the league to this point, but they still look solid. After an 0-2 start, Buffalo took down two power teams in the Cardinals and now the Patriots. I can’t help but think that injuries and inexperience played a major role in the outcome of this game. Nonetheless, good job Bills.
Brady’s Return
Attention NFL fans: prepare for the show of a lifetime. Brady is back, determined, and hungry for wins. After 4 weeks of being grounded by Goodell, TB12 is free. Correct me if I’m wrong (which never happens) but I sense a 5th ring coming for the greatest of all time. All of the pieces are there. Solid defense, deep receiving core, monster running back, and the NFL’s Albert Einstein for a coach. No one can stop these guys, period.
Week 5 for the Patriots looks like a piece of cake. They travel to Cleveland and take on the winless Browns. Sorry LeGarrette Blount owners, but bench him. Tom is not going to want to hand the ball off in his return and will easily throw for 300+ yards and at least 4 TD’s.