Patriots Team Grades: Sideline Frustrations Heat Up As Pats Rout Bills
By Danny Cox
Tom Brady didn't throw a single touchdown on Sunday and had a rather off game, but the Patriots still came out with a big 23-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field.
Despite the rout of the Bills, things heated up on the sidelines as Brady engaged in a shouting match with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Cameras caught McDaniels saying something to Brady that angered the 18-year veteran as the quarterback ripped off his helmet and began yelling back at the OC.
Offense: B+
It isn't often that you see a game where the rushing attack seems more impressive than the passing offense for the Patriots, but that was the case against the Bills. Brady ended up with 258 yards on 21-of-30 passing, but he had no touchdowns, one interception, and was sacked three times.
Rob Gronkowski had a great day with 147 yards on nine receptions, but things got ugly later in the game. At one point, Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White intercepted a Brady pass and there was a bit of contact during the play that went uncalled. After the play was over, Gronk delivered a cheap shot hit to White, which will likely be looked at by the league.
Dion Lewis had 92 yards on 15 carries to lead the Patriots on the day while Rex Burkhead was even more impressive. Burkhead had 78 yards on just 12 carries, but he scored both of the touchdowns on the day for New England.
Defense: A
The Bills had just 268 yards of total offense on the day and they could not get anything going against the Patriots defense. LeSean McCoy was the lone bright spot for Buffalo with 93 yards rushing on 15 carries, but the Bills could do virtually nothing.
Tyrod Taylor was held to 65 yards passing and he was sacked three times and intercepted once. After being replaced, Nathan Peterman had only 50 yards passing and was sacked once. It was a great overall performance by New England's defense, which is really the reason the game was such a blowout.
Special Teams: A
It was a good day for special teams as Stephen Gostkowski scored almost half of the Patriots' entire point total on Sunday. He hit both of his extra points and nailed all three of his field goal attempts with a long of 50 yards.
Ryan Allen helped keep the Bills pinned back all day with three punts and one that landed inside of Buffalo's 20-yard-line.
Coaching: B-
Despite the Patriots winning by three scores and cruising to a rather easy victory, something just seemed off in the gameplan on Sunday. The offense didn't look overly crisp, but the defense played very well and had a great plan of attack to keep the Bills out of the end zone all day.
Josh McDaniels is a veteran coach in his own right, but one has to wonder what he was thinking when yelling at someone such as Tom Brady. Sure, the coach will always have a leg up, but again...it's Tom Brady.
Up Next: The Patriots take their win streak to Miami next week to take on the Miami Dolphins, who absolutely destroyed the Denver Broncos 35-9 on Sunday. Jay Cutler is back under center for the Dolphins, who broke a five-game losing streak, which included a big loss to the Pats just a couple of weeks ago.